U'khand deposits Rs 50 lakh as advance to Railways to bring back stranded migrants

Uttarakhand government has deposited Rs 50 lakh as advance to Indian Railways to bring back stranded people, including migrant labourers from different parts of the country, said Shailesh Bagoli, Nodal Officer, Uttarakhand Government Committee for Migrants, on Saturday.

During a press briefing here, Bagoli informed that there have been talks to bring back migrants from places like Surat, Ahmedabad, Pune, Rajasthan and Bengaluru by train.

"To bring back the migrant people of the state, train and buses expenses are being borne by Uttarakhand government. In this, regard Rs 50 lakh has also been deposited to the Railways as advance. The state has requested for 8 trains so far," he said.

He dismissed the reports that a date has been fixed to bring back migrants from other States.

"All those who are scheduled to be brought back to the State will be informed via SMS after the State government receives an update from the Ministry of Railways," said Bagoli.

Speaking about the four people who have tested positive in the State on Saturday, Director, National Health Mission, Yugal Kishore Pant said that all the latest cases were reported from Udham Singh Nagar district.

The four, who are residents of Uttarakhand and have travel history to Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana, were caught by the police while entering the district without valid passes. They have been kept in the institutional quarantine.

At present, the number of active cases in the State is 20.

"The rate of COVID-19 positive cases in Uttarakhand is 0.76 per cent and the recovery rate is 69 per cent, which is better than the national average. The fatality rate is 1.49 per cent. The doubling rate stands at 38 days," added Pant.

( With inputs from ANI )