Rahul Gandhi reminds Centre of its responsibilty, says govt should put money in accounts of migrants

As migrants have started returning to their hometowns due to the restrictions imposed in the wake of surge in COVID-19 cases, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday reminded the central government of its responsibility and asked whether Centre will transfer cash into the bank accounts of migrants.

"Migrant workers are migrating once again. In such a situation, it is the responsibility of the central government to put money to their bank accounts," Gandhi tweeted.

In another tweet, he questioned "But will a government that blames the public for spreading Corona take such a public welfare step?

As Delhi went into a six-day lockdown amid the deteriorating COVID-19 situation, hundreds of migrant workers thronged at the Anand Vihar Bus Terminal on Monday evening to board the buses for their native places.

Heavy traffic congestion was seen in several parts of the national capital, with passengers striving to reach their homes. The migrants had to wait for hours at the bus stop with no choice to maintain social distancing.

Several parts of the country, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu have put lockdowns and similar restrictions in place to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Last year when nationwide lockdown was imposed migrants left for their hometowns on their bicycle or on foot because there was no availability of cars and trains for a long time.

This time, they do not want to take the chances and have started going back to their native places.

India is currently witnessing a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic reported over 2.73 lakh fresh infections in the last 24 hours - the highest since the pandemic broke out last year. According to the Health Ministry, there are currently 19,29,329 active cases in the country.

( With inputs from ANI )