Make jobs available to migrant workers near their homes: Mayawati to Centre

BSP president Mayawati on Friday asked the Centre and state governments to solve basic problems of livelihood and food faced by migrants returning home and said providing them jobs near their homes will be the real test of their intention.

Referring to the Supreme Court's directions that no fare for travel either by train or bus be charged from migrant workers stranded across the country, Mayawati said the government has been ignoring a similar demand made by the BSP.

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In a series of tweets, she said, "Finally, for lakhs of migrant labourers returning home, suffering from all kinds of neglect/disdain due to the lockdown for the last 66 days in the country, the court had to say that it is the responsibility of the government to send them home by rail/bus free of cost. The government had been ignoring this demand of the BSP."

However, it is the duty of the central and state governments to solve the basic problem of livelihood and food faced by lakhs of helpless migrant labourers returning especially to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

"Making permanent employment available to them near their homes will be the test of government's intention, policy and loyalty," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister stressed.

"In fact, it would also be a test of fair use of the package of Rs 20 lakh crores announced by the Centre, though late, in the public interest. The public can hardly forget their neglect and unprecedented misery and plight. They need justice to live," she added.