Kolkata: Denying the allegation that her government was not willing to bring back labourers, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the state has facilitated the return of 850,000 people at a cost of £4 million.
Earlier in the day, she appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide Rs 10,000 to every migrant worker displaced by the lockdown. “I appeal to Central Govt to transfer Rs 10,000 each as one-time assistance to migrant labourers, including people in unorganised sector. A portion of PM-CARES could be used for this,” Mamata tweeted.
The BJP hit out at her, saying the state government should provide financial aid to migrant workers from its own coffers. Talking to reporters in Indore, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is the party’s in-charge for West Bengal, asked, “Why is the Mamata government not giving financial help to migrant labourers of West Bengal? She is in power in that state and not sitting in the opposition. Why isn’t her government providing help from its coffers?”
Later at a press conference, Mamata said of the 850,000 migrant workers, 650,000 returned by road and 150,000 by train. “Some people are spreading rumours that my government was not willing to bring back migrant labourers. This is false. So far, we have brought back 850,000 migrants and by June 10, a total of 10,50,000 of them will have returned,” she said. Mamata who had earlier clashed with the Centre over the migrant workers’ crisis, said that the West Bengal government witnessed super Cyclone Amphan while fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said the devastation left behind from Amphan has been unprecedented and it was “the fiercest storm in our recent memory.” “Through the resilience of Bengal and its people, along with a determined effort by government machinery, we have been able to kickstart major relief and rehabilitation work for the distressed, with an immediate announcement of a £625 million package as first tranche,” she tweeted.
The West Bengal government has released £144.4 million to assist people as part of the rehabilitation process following cyclone Amphan, Chief Minister said.
