Amid the continued lockdown and consequent unemployment caused by an unprecedented coronavirus-triggered situation in Maharashtra, the MVA Government has transported as many as 5.08 lakh migrant workers living in different parts of the State to the borders or the nearest railway stations of  their respective native states.

“Till yesterday, our Government ferried as many as 5,08,803 migrant workers in 41,874 State transport buses to the borders or nearest railway stations of their respective states. The State Government has borne 100 per cent expenditure amounting to Rs  94.66 crore on the transportation of migrant workers to their respective states,” Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said here on Saturday.   

The Chief Minister thanked the officials and employees of the state-run Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and Regional Transport Office (RTO) for making available for the transportation of migrant workers. “They not only made available buses but also stopped the migrant workers heading towards their states by foot and ferried them in their buses. We are grateful to the officers and employees of the MSRTC and RTO for serving migrant workers in their hour of crisis,” the chief minister said.

As part of its drive to help the migrant workers to return to their respective states, the Maharashtra government has ferried migrant workers from various parts of the state to borders or nearest railway stations of Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Chhatisgarh and Karnataka.

“Among the migrants who have returned to their states from Maharashtra, scores of them have taken advantage of the shramik trains being run the Indian Railways to ferry stranded labourers,” the Chief Minister said.