As migrants grow restless in lockdown, govt weighs cash transfer option

State governments told to expedite data collection of migrant labour

The National Democratic Alliance government is contemplating a cash transfer scheme for migrant workers affected by the 21-day lockdown imposed on March 25 to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) amid growing restlessness among such workers across the country.

On Tuesday, Mumbai’s Bandra became the site of a massive uprising by a groundswell of migrant workers defying the lockdown extension till May 3, demanding they be allowed to go back to their native places. Similar scenes were witnessed in Surat (Gujarat) last week and on Tuesday, when scores of workers took to the streets demanding food and