MHA sets up migrant database amid their cross country movement
- The move is aimed at expediting contact tracing of migrants, if case anybody tests positive for the novel coronavirus
- Indian Railways has transported over 10 lakh stranded since 1 May in over 800 Shramik Special trains.
NEW DELHI: The Centre has begun to put together a database on the cross country movement of migrant workers.
The Union home ministry had instructed states to register migrants at the state of embarkation as well as disembarkation, and this move is aimed at expediting contact tracing of migrants, if case anybody tests positive for novel coronavirus.
The database--National Migrant Information System (NMIS)--set up by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), "would maintain a central repository on migrant workers and help in speedy inter-state communication and co-ordination to facilitate their smooth movement to native places. It has additional advantages like contact tracing, which may be useful in overall COVID-19 response work," the Centre said in a statement.
The data, which pertains to the persons migrating has been "standardized for uploading such as name, age, mobile no., originating and destination district, date of travel etc., which states are already collecting."
"States will be able to visualize how many people are going out from where and how many are reaching destination States.The mobile numbers of people can be used for contact tracing and movement monitoring during covid-19," according to the statement.
Amid the lockdown to combat the spread of the novel cvoronavirus, the Indian Railways has started ferrying migrant workers across the country. It has transported over 10 lakh stranded since 1 May in over 800 Shramik Special trains.
The Union home ministry, in an order on Friday, asked states to ensure that migrant workers do not have to walk back to their home states.
The Delhi government on Sunday issued orders to ensure that no trouble is faced by migrants. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said his government will arrange as many trains as necessary for them.
According to the home ministry order, migrants found walking should be taken to shelter homes where food and water and necessary arrangements for trains should be made to take them back to their home States.
"We have taken Full responsibility of migrant labourers in Delhi. If they want to stay back in Delhi, they will be taken care of. If they wish to return to their villages, then trains are being arranged for them. Under no circumstances will we leave them in the lurch," Kejriwal said.
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First Published:17 May 2020, 06:00 PM IST
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