New Delhi, May 31 (UNI) Accusing the NDA government at the centre of being oblivious to the suffering of the migrant labourers, the Congress on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the amount given to labourers from PM CARES Fund.
Addressing a press conference, through video conferencing, AICC spokesperson Kapil Sibal said that migrant labourers walking on the roads to their native states are a testimony of the government’s apathy to these people.
Pointing out that many people have lost their lives due to starvation, Mr Sibal said asked how much ex gratia was given to the labourers who died in the corona crisis.
'I request the Prime Minister to tell us how much have you paid to the migrants from the PM Cares fund? You know the number of people who have died.
Section 12 of the National Disaster Management Act says the National Authority of which the Prime Minister presides shall recommend the guidelines for minimum standard of the relief to be provided to person, affected by disaster which shall include ex-gratia assistance on account of loss of lives as also assistance on account of damage and for restoration of means of livelihood. This is your duty to give assistance in terms of money, ex-gratia system to people for loss of lives,' Mr Sibal said.
Accusing the NDA of mishandling the COVID crisis, Sibal, taking a jibe at Mr Modi, said, that even the “Bahubali Prime Minister could not face the coronavirus pandemic and pushed the country into more distress”.
The mishandling of a pandemic by the Modi government has forced people into a crisis.'
He said that the government may have made announcements for migrants but they have no data on the number of migrants.
'They make announcements, but, the fact of the matter is that this Government does not even know the number of migrants. There are two kinds of migrants in this country. One kind of migrants that move from state to state for work or livelihood, whether it is from Bihar, or UP or it is from other states, Odisha, West Bengal and then there are other migrants, who actually are within the state, but, move from one district to another for work, one tehsil to another for work, one area to another for work, but, they were also locked out.
Now the Government has no data about the number of migrants, either those who come from other states or those who come or who live within states. The only figure we have is the 2011 census that this number is around 6 crores and this must have increased over the years because we are in 2020 now. So, the Government has no data as to where they are, what work they do, where they work, so if they don’t have the data, how will they reach the people, those Shramiks, those migrants labours, to give them rahat (relief),' Mr Sibal said.
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