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Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday urged people to travel in Shramik Special trains only when necessary. His comments came after at least nine migrants died on board the special trains since Monday as a severe heatwave hit most of northern India.

I appeal to people suffering from serious ailments, pregnant women and those above 65 years and below 10 years of age to travel only when necessary in Shramik trains, he tweeted. Railway parivaar is committed to ensuring safety of all passengers.

In a statement, the Indian Railways said special trains were being run daily throughout the country to ensure that migrant workers were able to reach their homes. It has been observed that some people who are availing this service have pre-existing medical conditions which aggravates the risk they face during the Covid-19 pandemic, it added. A few unfortunate cases of deaths related to pre-existing medical conditions while travelling have happened.

The Railways sought cooperation from all passengers, saying safety was their biggest concern. Indian railway parivaar is working 24x7 to ensure that rail services are provided to all the citizens of the country needing to travel, it said. In case of any distress or emergency please do not hesitate to reach out to your railway parivaar and we will help you as always [helpline number 139 and 138].

The Centre had started the special trains on May 1 to transport migrant workers back to their home states after they were stranded in different parts of the country during the coronavirus-induced lockdown from March 25. However, there have been reports of trains not only starting late, but also taking longer to reach their destinations. The Railways claimed the trains that were delayed by many hours taking unconventional routes, such as one from Mumbai to Gorakhpur that ended up in Odisha, were just involved in route rationalisation. Passengers have also complained about the lack of food and water on these trains.

Meanwhile, the Railways has maintained that the migrants who died on trains had pre-existing medical conditions. In most of these cases, it is discovered that those who died are old sick people and chronic disease patients, who had actually gone to big cities for medical treatment and could come back only after the Railways started these special trains, a spokesperson said.

On Thursday, the National Human Rights Commission issued notices to the Union Home Ministry, the Railway Board and the Bihar and Gujarat governments in connection with the deaths on special trains. The NHRC took suo motu cognisance of media reports that claimed that many migrant labourers lost their lives during their journey because of how long they were and due to the absence of arrangements for drinking water and food.

The poor labourers cannot be treated in such an inhuman manner just because they are poor and the government has paid for their tickets, it added. Any shortcoming on the part of the government agencies cannot be covered under excuse of unprecedented situation amid countrywide lockdown.

The NHRC said the state has failed to protect the lives of those who died. The female labourers, old aged persons, ill persons, small children and specially abled persons are reportedly suffering a lot, it added. Many times the poor labourers have been told to go back as the trains got cancelled.

A video of a child trying to wake up his dead mother at the Muzaffarpur railway station in Bihar was also widely shared on social media on Wednesday. It was the latest visual to emerge from the unprecedented humanitarian crisis of millions of migrant labourers affected by the nationwide lockdown to tackle the coronavirus outbreak in India.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that the Railways and the state governments cannot charge train or bus fares from stranded migrant workers waiting to return home. It observed that there were several problems in the process of registration, transportation and providing water and food to the migrants.

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After several deaths on special trains, Piyush Goyal urges people to travel only when necessary - Scroll.in

In order to deal with the immigration crisis, we are moving in three stages, said Greeces Migrationand AsylumMinister, Notis Mitarachi during an interview with CNN Greece.

The first step for us was to better guard the borders and already in the last quarter the flows have been reduced by more than 90% thanks to the great effort of the Armed Forces, the Police and the Coast Guard.

The second big effort is to separate real refugees from economic migrants, and this quarter we have tripled the issuance of asylum decisions, Mitarachi added.

The third major stage is to have less and safer structures with security measures and with access control measures.

According to Mitarachi, arrivals reduced by more than 90%. A total of about 250 people entered our country in May compared to more than 3,000 who entered in May 2019. The reduction is very significant. To some extent, of course, it was influenced by the pandemic in the neighbouring country, but above all it is the determination of our country. Our country is not an open vineyard We are protecting our land and sea borders and we will continue to do so even now that the borders are slowly reopening.

The Minister stressed that he has absolute respect for the local communities, which have long felt that they are lifting a very heavy burden on immigration. Especially our islands but also some areas of mainland Greece. Our goal is to make the structures smaller, secondly to keep them less in the structures and thirdly to make the structures safer. And we will start with Malakasa.

Malakasa will become the first controlled-access refugee and migrant facility in mainland Greece.

Mitarakis said that a system controlling who comes in an out the camp will be installed within the coming weeks, while individuals who are not entitled to stay at the overcrowded facility will be deported.

His comments come a day after residents in Malakasa blocked the Athens-Lamia national highway, to protest the plans for the camp, which will be the second one in the area, supplementing an open facility that is currently in operation.

Six officers were injured in the clashes and five people were remanded in custody.

The locals described the migrant camp in Malakasa as a health bomb due to the coronavirus. They also claim that the refugees and migrants disturb the area with their presence, as they do not stay inside the camps but gather at the squares and have barbecues near the forested area.

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Greek Minister for Migration and Asylum: "Our country is not an open vineyard" - Greek City Times - Greek City Times

Not one to sulk and crib, actor Harshvardhan Rane believes in looking at the brighter side of any given situation. However, amid the ongoing lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic, thinking about the plight of migrant workers stranded on the roads and walking miles to reach their home, makes his heart sink.

Though theres some respite after the Indian Railways began its operations in some states to ensure these migrants reach their villages safely, the actor feels this should have been arranged much before to prevent such a migrant crisis.

I feel so low and helpless looking at their condition. My smile gets wiped off from my face when I watch their news. Were sitting in the comfort of our home and have food and shelter, but these guys are struggling to get water and food, and just want to reach their homes. Its just sad to see people suffer like that, says Rane.

He adds that even if one wants to offer help, its not easy to reach them. I wish I had some superpower to help them.

When it comes to the measures taken by administration in containing the spread of the virus in the country, the 36-year-old feels theyve done a good job so far.

By imposing lockdown right on time, weve saved many lives . Of course, there have been people who flouted the norms, but our police has done a good job. It isnt easy at all, he opines.

Keeping himself occupied during such trying times and working on his mental, physical and intellectual well-being, Rane feels he ha become a better version of himself.

As the Paltan (2018) actor puts it, This lockdown has been like a software update for me. Its a great time to reset and update yourself and mind, body and knowledge are the three main areas Im focusing on. Ive started running 10 kms for the first time, and I do this daily in the parking space of my building. I practise cognitive ability games to sharpen my mind.

Besides, Rane has also enrolled himself for an online course on human evolution and also reading books to understand what inspires people and their journey from being nowhere to somewhere.

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Harshvardhan Rane: I feel helpless looking at the condition of migrant workers suffering due to loc... - Hindustan Times

By AbhijitDoshi

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought into focus inherent weaknesses of the Indian economy. Lack of financial stability, inadequate healthcare facilities and inhuman conditions of migrant labour, for example, point at policy failures at large or tardy implementation of some policy measures.

The challenges faced by the financial sector are plenty, but largely clear. The banking system is flush with liquidity, but banks are unwilling to take the risk of lending. RBI cut repo rates by 115bpson top of the 135bps cut delivered by the MPC last year. Yet the extent of transmission of these cuts by banks leaves everyone unhappy. MSMEs are one of the worst hit by the unwillingness of banks to reduce lending rates in keeping with the state of the economy.

A recent paper by Tobias Adrian and Fabio Natalucci on the IMF website (COVID-19 Worsens Pre-existing Financial Vulnerabilities) notes that much the same way Covid-19 hits people with pre-existing health conditions strongly, so is the pandemic-triggered economic crisis exposing financial vulnerabilities built up during a decade of extremely low rates and volatility. The authors warn that vulnerabilities in credit markets, emerging countries and banks could cause a new financial crisis. This statement has a lot of relevance to India.

The situation in healthcare is similar. India has always faced shortage of hospitals, doctors, health workers, medicines and other inputs. These shortages are more acute in rural areas. Despite government spending and policies to assuage the shortage, and despite the increase in the number of hospitals, doctors, etc, the demand seems to constantly outstrip the supply. Covid-19 brings out this reality starkly.

The issue of migrant labour is more complex. India is a democratic country and people are more or less free to work anywhere. But the reality is harsh. At the level of manual labour, they mostly migrate for economic necessity, than out of choice. Away from home and family, they mostly live in pathetic environs, and have small and irregular income.

The heart-wrenching photos of migrant labourers walking miles to reach their villages, with old parents and children, without food, money or shelter on the way, in the peak summers, are reminiscent of people crossing borders during Partition. While walking long distances, many died, some because of fatigue while others due to accidents. Who could blame them if they feel like refugees in their own country?

The issue of migrant labour points at a basic infirmity in our economic policies and growth process that yield imbalanced regional development. That leads to strange results. Consider this: While workers want to go home, industrialists express concern they may not come back and it would be difficult to find labour to run factories. Some states do not want them to go for similar reasons. It is not that India has limited manpower in the working-age group. So, why this worry?

The lopsided development model followed for many years ensured that industries are concentrated in a few pockets, while many towns and cities have little industrial activities, and therefore employment potential. This model draws hordes of people from one region to another all the time.

To remedy this imbalance, the government had, in the 1960s and 1970s, started incentivising industries that would be set up in the so-called backward areas. Concessions were granted in sales tax, excise duties were reduced, and transport subsidies were announced. However, a few states went overboard and compromised their finances.

In post-reforms era, the emphasis shifted to infrastructure development, where the government was expected to play a major role. Considerable ground has apparently been covered in road, water, power, but a lot remains to be done in housing, particularly affordable housing, slum development and cleanliness. Equally important, availability of manpower with appropriate skills seems to be a huge challenge.

The government needs to focus on these missing infrastructure gaps. That would ensure more balanced regional development and minimise the need for internal migration for economic compulsions. Had that been achieved, we probably would not have seen people undertaking such long trips home. No doubt, balanced regional development takes time, but an early start even now would be welcome. We have wasted enough time. Seven decadesthe span of Independent Indiacould have taken us a long way.

The author is Media consultant

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Housing, slum, cleanliness: Govt needs to focus on these missing infrastructure gaps to deal with migration crisis - The Financial Express

Reaching to migrant populationfrom Eastern India including Poorvanchal, which faced massive problems in movement to their home states during the lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said no words can express their pain and agony and dropped indications of plans for bringing eastern India on the map of economic development.

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There is no stratum in our country unaffected by the difficulties caused by the affliction-the most gravely affected by the crisis are the underprivileged labourers and workers. Their agony, their pain, their ordeal cannot be expressed in words. Who amongst us cannot understand and feel what they and their families are going through! All of us are trying to share their distress; the torment, Modi said in his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat.

The remarks camein the wake of the massive migrant crisis during Covid-19 laying bare open the wounds of joblessness and poverty in states falling in the regionthree of which Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh goe to polls in 2020, 2021 and 2022.Modi appreciated states making commendable efforts in helping those, who are most vulnerable and took note of skill mapping being done of migrants and setting up of migrant commission.

While Nitish Kumar ruled Bihar, where polls are due in October this year, have gone for massive skill mapping of migrants who came home and promised them the state will arrange work for them in the state, Yogi Adityanath led Uttar Pradesh not only set a migrant commission for their welfare but also raised an emotive pitch saying other states employing workers from UP will now have to take the states permission,

Modi noted had our villages, districts, states been self-dependent, many problems would not have been present before use in the shape and size that they are today and dubbed the current scenario an eye opener.

Noting that the nations balanced economic development is possible only through the development of Eastern India, Modi said ever since the country offered him the opportunity to serve, we have accorded priority to the development of eastern India.. And now, considering the migrant labourers, the need of the hour is devising a new solution - paradigm.we are ceaselessly taking steps in that direction..

In the pain of our labour, we can see the pain of Eastern India, which has the potential to become the growth engine of the country, whose labour power has the capacity to take the nation to new heights. The development of that eastern region is very important. Today, the distress our workforce is undergoing is representative of that of the countrys eastern region. The very region which possesses the capacity to be the countrys growth engine, whose workforce possesses the capability and the might to take the country to greater heightsthe eastern region needs development. It is only the development of the eastern region that can lead to a balanced economic development of the country, the Prime Minister said.

Linking the development in the region to his recent Atmanirbhar Bharat pitch, Modi also referred to communications from one person each from Bihar and Assam regarding self reliance in small scale businesses and said his campaign will take the country to greater heights in this decade.

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Pain of the poor and labourers hit hard by coronavirus crisis cannot be explained in words: PM Modi - Deccan Herald