MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT DISREGARDS DEATH OF MIGRANT

WORKERS

Tanishka Khandewal

The 68-day nationwide lockdown imposed in the month of March 2020 has affected the migrant
workers and agricultural workforce the most. Many labourers were stranded throughout the
country by the government or their employers and were not provided with adequate food or
shelter. Many workers like daily wagers, hawkers who had lost their jobs and were left with no
money to survive in the cities decided to walk to their native states with all their belonging and
children. There have been many visuals of workers dying due to accidents while they were
walking to their hometown, surviving on the food that was provided by good Samaritans.

On 8th May 2020, there were 16 workers who on the way to Madhya Pradesh were crushed by a
goods train, while sleeping on the rail tracks. On 15th May 2020, the Madras High Court calling
the pathetic condition of migrant workers as a human tragedy, raised questions to see whether
coordinated efforts have been taken by all the state governments in consultation with the Central
Government to address the sufferings of the migrant labourers. In context to which the court also
said that, it was a pity to see migrant labourers walking for days together to reach their native
places and that it was the duty of the government authorities of all the states to extend their
human services to these migrant workers. Written questions were also raised by the Lok Sabha
asking the government if they have recorded the list of migrants who returned to their states from
various parts of the country and whether the government had details of who lost their lives while
returning to their hometowns.

In response to which, the minister for labour and employment, Santhosh Gangwar said that a
total of 1,04,66152 workers had returned, with 32,49,638 returning to Uttar Pradesh and
15,00612 to Bihar and said that there was no data maintained for the deaths of the migrant
workers. These replies, which were given on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament,
shows the government’s callousness towards the weak and vulnerable. It took about two months
for the Centre to start railway services for the unemployed migrants, during which it had been
reported that there were about 80 travellers who died of hunger and the virus. There has been no
help provided by the Centre in terms of food or shelter to the migrant workers who were stranded
in different parts of the country because of the sudden announcement of lockdown.