Covid-19: Bihar cabinet approves Nitish Kumar's plan to rehabilitate migrants, sanctions Rs 809 cr

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered the state Disaster Management Department (DMD) to speed up the transfer process of Rs 1,000 into the personal bank accounts of each migrant worker who has completed the mandatory stay at quarantine centers following their arrival in the state.

As a gesture of care and kindness, the Bihar government is providing at least Rs 1,000 individually to each of the migrants who have returned to their home state.

Nitish Kumar has also promised the migrants to reimburse the expenditure they incurred against the train fares and any other expenses during the train journey, besides Rs 500 to each of them.

Incidentally, Bihar is in the midst of an all-time high reverse migration after the coronavirus-induced lockdown left the migrant workers jobless in their destination states.

On May 2, the first Shramik Special carrying 1,200-odd migrants arrived in Patna. By the end of this month, more than two million migrants are expected to return to Bihar.

Given this number, the Nitish Kumar government would spend at least Rs 200 crore under this head alone.

Cumulatively, however, the expenditure is expected to go higher as the Bihar government has also been paying additional Rs 1,000 to each of the workers for the sufferings they braved during the lockdown period when they remained stranded.

Inter-state travel was allowed only four weeks ago after the lockdown rules were eased.

In addition to the financial assistance, which will be provided by the chief minister's relief fund, the government will provide two months of free rations to the migrants.

To top it all, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also ordered suitable employment opportunities for the migrant workers be created in the state.

Nitish Kumar has also instructed the DMD to help those migrant workers -- who could not avail the government financial support during lockdown because of some technical reasons -- open bank accounts in Bihar and be paid what the government has promised to every labourer.

Meanwhile, the Bihar cabinet on Thursday approved the advance withdrawal of Rs 809 crore from the state contingency fund for expenditure to be incurred on the measures taken for the containment of the coronavirus transmission in the state.

A proposal to this effect was mooted by the disaster management department (DMD). The state cabinet also approved the expenditure incurred against the transfer of money into the personal accounts of the migrant workers who had arrived from other states.