Adhir Chowdhury urges PM Modi to help migrant labourers reach their homes

Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to arrange for ferrying migrant labourers to their home or at the nearest point from where their respective states would assure them a safe return to their homes.

In his letter, dated on Thursday, Chowdhury stated, "I would like to bring into your knowledge and firmly believe that you are aware better than me about stranded migrant labourers from various parts of the country with inadequate food, lodging, clothing, healthcare as well as facing uncertainty."

Later, he suggested to "arrange for ferrying these people to their home or at a nearest point from where their respective states would assure them safe return to homes."

"In this humane operation, may we utilise special 'COVID protection trains' specifically for helping these helpless, penniless labourers to get rid of their mental agony please?" Chowdhury said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on March 24 announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown as a precautionary measure to control the spread of COVID-19.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday informed that India's total number of COVID-19 positive cases now stands at 6,412. Out of these, 5,709 are active patients and 504 of them have been cured/discharged and migrated.

With 30 new deaths reported in the last 12 hours, the death toll has reached 199.