Over 14.37 labourers returned to MP during lockdown: Official

Over 14.37 lakh labourers have returned to their hometowns in Madhya Pradesh amid the coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown, a senior official said on Wednesday. Of these, 365 have been tested positive for the COVID-19 across different districts of the state, the official said.

"More than 14.37 lakh labourers have returned to their homes in Madhya Pradesh from different states so far," said Manoj Shrivastava, additional chief secretary of the panchayat and rural development department. At least 365 labourers, who had tested positive upon their arrival, were undergoing treatment, he said.

Over 11.07 lakh labourers were advised to remain in home quarantine on their return, while more than 58,700 were put up at isolation centres, Shrivastava said. The state government had so far spent Rs 111 crore for the welfare of migrant labourers, of which Rs 68 crore were spent on providing food, water and shelter, the official said.

The remaining amount was spent on giving them masks, hand santisers and protective gear to check the viral spread in rural areas, he said. Moreover, the government has also set up calls centres in districts to facilitate jobs to villagers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, he said.

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