Railways has so far run 806 Shramik Special Trains ferrying 10 lakh migrant workers: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the Centre has worked together with state governments to provide trains to migrant workers to return home and the railways has already run 806 Shramik Special Trains ferrying 10 lakh stranded labourers.

"This government is concerned about migrants... (It) touches all our hearts to see migrants with their families, children with their bags and baggages waking on the roads. I just want to tell you that the Union Government has definitely worked together with state governments to provide ... train facility," she told reporters here.

She said 1,200 Shramik Special Trains are available and ready so that everyday 300 such trains can run.

"State governments have to ask for (the train) by saying I want this many number of trains... And the moment they say, within 3-5 hours trains are provided to that station to take the passengers back to their states.

"Railways has already run 806 Shramik Special Trains in which 10 lakh migrant workers have gone back to their respective destinations. So states and the Centre are working together to have the migrants taken back," Sitharaman said.

She said 85 per cent of the cost of running the train is borne by the Centre, and the remaining 15 per cent is borne by state governments.

The minister said, so far Uttar Pradesh has requested and accepted 386 such trains, Bihar (204), Madhya Pradesh (67), Jharkhand (44), Rajasthan (18), Chhattisgarh and West Bengal (7).