The Centre on Sunday issued guidelines for movement of labourers within a state to facilitate partial resumption of select economic activities outside coronavirus hotspots from Monday, but ruled out any inter-state travel.
Issuing the order, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla made it clear that there will be no inter-state movement of workers during the lockdown, which has been extended till May 3.
The development came at a time migrant labourers stranded in places like Mumbai, Surat and Delhi making desperate attempts to go back to their native places despite the lockdown.
The order said that due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, workers employed in industry, agriculture, construction and other sectors have moved from their respective places of work and are housed in relief and shelter camps being run by state and UT governments.
Since additional activities, outside the containment zones, have been permitted in the consolidated revised guidelines with effect from April 20, these workers could be engaged in industrial, manufacturing, construction, farming and MNREGA works.
To facilitate their movement within the state or UT, it issued a standard operating procedure (SOP).
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The migrant labourers currently residing in relief and shelter camps in states and UTs should be registered with the concerned local authority and their skill mapping be carried out to find out their suitability for various kinds of works.
In the event that a group of migrants wish to return to their places of work within the state where they are presently located, they would be screened and those who are asymptomatic would be transported to their respective places of work, according to the SOP.
It may be noted that there shall be no movement of labour outside the state and UT from where they are currently located.
During the journey by bus, it would be ensured that safe social-distancing norms are followed and the buses used for transport are sanitized as per the guidelines of the health authorities.
The local authorities shall also provide for food and water etc., for the duration of their journey, the SOP said.
The lockdown was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 for 21 days in a bid to combat the coronavirus endemic. While extending the lockdown till May 3, the prime minister declared that select activities will open up from April 20 in identified areas.
Soon after the lockdown was first announced, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers in different parts of the country were seen leaving their places to work and started going to their native places on foot along with family members like small kids, creating a humanitarian crisis.
There was an instance when a group of such people were found inside a container truck in Maharashtra when they were trying to go to Rajasthan from Telangana as passengers transport was completely shut.
To check this mass exodus, the central government had asked all states to provide food and shelter to the migrant workers so that they do not move during the lockdown.
The central government even allowed state governments to use money from the National Disaster Response Fund to provide temporary accommodation and food.
Last week, a large number of people gathered at Bandra in Mumbai after rumours were floated that trains were being arranged for the migrant workers to go back their native places in North India.
Another group of workers clashed with police in Surat in Gujarat demanding transport to go back to Odisha.
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