2300 workers stuck in Gujarat sent back to Rajasthan, talks with other State govts on

Gandhinagar: The state government sent back more than 2,300 migrant workers from Rajasthan, who were housed in shelter homes since the nationwide lockdown began on March 25, to the neighbouring state on Monday.

“These workers wanted to return to their homes in Rajasthan, but were unable to do so because of the lockdown, and were put up in shelter homes. After discussions with the Rajasthan government, we made arrangements to send them back home. We arranged 84 buses to take them from shelter homes across the state to Rajasthan border, from where the Rajasthan government has made arrangements for their onward journey,” said Vipul Mittra, additional chief secretary, Labour and Employment department.

More than 560 of these workers were in shelter homes in Banaskantha, over 300 in Valsad, 285 in Aravalli, and 228 in Vadodara.

Mittra said that the workers were screened by doctors before boarding the buses for home.

“The workers will reach their homes by tomorrow,” he said.

Nearly 9,200 migrant workers were housed in 235 shelter homes set up by the state government across the state after the nationwide lockdown commenced more than a month back on March 25. On Saturday, around 2,300 migrant workers from neighbouring Madhya Pradesh were also sent back by the state government.

Mittra added that the state government is also talking with the other states for sending back migrant workers from Gujarat.