Shramik Trains

Over 21 lakh migrant labourers have returned to Uttar Pradesh on 1,550 Shramik trains, says official; maximum workers from Gujarat, Maharashtra

More than 21 lakh migrant labourers have returned to Uttar Pradesh from different parts of the country on over 1,500 special trains so far

Migrant workers pay Rs 1,500-4,500 to return from Mumbai to home states; trucks and tempos emerge as preferred mode of transport

Even as special Shramik trains and buses are being run by the government to ferry stranded migrant labourers from Maharashtra and other states, most of them still prefer to travel in vehicles like trucks and tempos to return home, flouting the social distancing norms

As migrant workers prepare to leave megacities, fixing gaps in PDS and DBT will be key to preventing large scale unrest back home

The shramik trains can take a few thousand of migrant workers back to their home towns. For the rest, whose numbers will still be considerable, their main problem, as lockdown continues, will be hunger, not the virus, and a further deepening of existing social and income inequalities.

Indian Railways asks zones to watch out for sectarian feuds and troublemakers on board shramik trains, issues advisory on sanitation protocol

The Railways also stated that sanitisation of shramik trains has to be done both at the originating and the destination stations

Coronavirus Outbreak: Stranded Indians brought back by special flights will have to download 'Aarogya Setu' app, says MHA

The MHA official added that the passengers who land in the country on board the special flights will be screened and kept at paid quarantine facilities for 14 days.

Railways has subsidised 85% fare of special trains for migrant workers, states to pay remaining 15%, claims BJP

The state government concerned can also pay for the tickets, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said. He said the Madhya Pradesh government is doing so and asked Rahul Gandhi to tell the Congress-ruled states to follow suit.