(a) the number of migrant workers who travelled on foot to return home in the months of March and April, 2020 during the lockdown in the country;
(b) the number of migrant workers died in road accidents during the said period in the country; and
(c) the measures undertaken by the Ministry to ensure safety of migrant workers walking back home during the said period?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
[GEN. (DR.) V.K. SINGH (RETD.)]
(a) Covid-19 has resulted in migration of large number of workers from destination states to the Home States. As per the data compiled by Ministry of Labour and Employment, more than 1.06 crores migrant workers, including those who travelled on foot during the lock-down, returned to their home-state.
(b) As per provisional available information 81385 accidents occurred on the roads including National Highways during the period March-June 2020 with 29415 fatalities. However, This Ministry does not maintain separate data in respect of migrant workers who have died in road accidents during the lockdown.
(c) Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued regular advisories to State/UTs to take all necessary measures to provide shelters, food, water, health facilities and also proper counseling to migrant workers. This Ministry had assisted the movement of migrant labourers walking on foot on the various National Highways all across the Country by providing them food, drinking water, basic medicines and foot wears, etc. They were also provided with the resting places to take rest and assistance in terms of the arrangement of transport with the help of local administration to take them to the places nearest to their destinations. MHA vide orders dated 29th April, 2020 and 01st May, 2020 allowed movement of migrant workers to their native places by buses and Shramik special trains respectively.
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