Centre unveils plan to deal with 'psycho-social issues' of migrant workers

The central government also asked states to treat migrant workers with dignity and respect

The Union government on Wednesday released detailed guidelines to deal with the psychosocial issues of migrants who have been impacted by the nationwide lockdown announced to deal with the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

It has separately issued an advisory for the state governments to quarantine these workers.

The government has told the states to treat every migrant worker with dignity, respect, empathy and compassion, and listen to their concerns.

The states have been advised to tell the workers that the lockdown situation is “transient and not going to last long”.

“Normal life is going to resume soon,” according to the guidelines issued by the health ministry on Wednesday. This is a follow-up to the directions given by the Supreme Court in an order on Tuesday.

The apex court was responding to a petition that flagged the plight of migrant workers, up to 600,000 of whom had to travel on foot to reach their native states following the lockdown that led to a ban on public transport and industries where they worked. 

“Emphasise on the importance of their staying in their present location and how mass movement could greatly and adversely affect all efforts to contain the virus,” the guidelines read.

The government acknowledged that the migrants may be prone to social, psychological and emotional trauma in such situations because of a fear of neglect by the local community and concerns about well-being and safety of their families “waiting in their native places”.

“During outbreak of communicable diseases, such a Covid-19, and the restrictions imposed on routine activities as part of social-distancing norms to prevent the spread of the disease, scores of migrant workers tend to move back to their native places. During the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic also, many migrant workers used all possible means to reach their destinations,” the health ministry said.

It added that many of the workers are stuck at borders and they are the most marginalised sections of society who are dependent on daily wages for their living, and in times of such distress “need sympathy and understanding of society”.

Their immediate concerns, the government noted, relate to food, shelter, health care, fear of getting infected or spreading the infection, loss of wages, concerns about the family, anxiety and fear. Sometimes, they also face harassment and negative reactions of the local community, it added. “All this calls for strong social protection,” the government said.

The central government told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that 500,000-600,000 migrants reached their villages on foot after the lockdown came into effect.