Bhubaneswar: Continuing his efforts to ensure safe return of stranded Odia people across the country to their home State, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik personally held discussions with the Chief Ministers of various states. He spoke to his counterparts from Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh where a sizable number of Odia people stay. The workers were desperate to return to their home state and were left without any help after the nationwide lockdown was imposed by the Center. In order to facilitate their safe return, Naveen entrusted senior officers of his government to deal with the issue and he personally monitored the matter.
While the Odisha government decided to bring back the migrant laborers safely into Odisha from various states, all arrangements were made by officials for that. The Odisha Government has decided to safely bring back the stranded labourers from Gujarat. The decision was taken after a meeting of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik with his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani on 26th April through video conferencing. The meeting was also attended by Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
It was decided in the meeting that both the states will designate two senior Officers to form a coordination committee for bringing back the stranded labourers from Gujarat. While plans were made to bring them back by buses, other modes of transport were also explored. Those who wanted to return to Odisha had to register themselves for which the government provided all help. The returnees had to stay in quarantine after returning to the state. The government of Odisha also requested the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh to exempt the road tax for vehicles carrying the stranded labourers from Gujarat.
On the same day, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik spoke to his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray to bring back migrant Odia workers who are stranded in Maharashtra due to the nationwide lockdown amid the corona pandemic. Naveen had a video conversation with Thackeray regarding the safe return of the Odia migrants.
On 30th April, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik held discussions with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Palaniswami through Video Conferencing and talked about a range of issues pertaining to stranded migrant workers, students, pilgrims, tourists and other people from Odisha in Tamil Nadu. Naveen requested the Tamil Nadu CM to make arrangements for safe return of Odia people to their home State.
Naveen also talked to stranded Odia people who were staying at a shelter camp at Guru Nanak College in Chennai, through video conferencing. He thanked the Tamil Nadu CM for taking care of Odia people. Palaniswami assured the Odisha CM that the Tamil Nadu government would take necessary steps for the safe return of stranded people to their home State. counterpart Edappadi K. Palaniswami regarding the return of the Odias stranded in Tamil Nadu. A large number of Odia people work in Chennai and other industrial areas such as Coimbatore, Salem, Tirupur and Hosur.
In a significant development, Odisha government decided to bring back 2500 stranded students from Kota in Rajasthan on 29th April. The students were staying there for coaching and were left stranded after the lockdown. Two senior officials – Abinas Kumar and Sarthak Sarangi, were designated to coordinate the return of the students.
While reviewing the Corona situation in the state with officials, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik asserted that not a single migrant worker returned to the State would be deprived of the benefits under Food Security. Discussing with the district COVID-19 observers through video conferencing, the Chief Minister insisted the officers to make sure that migrant workers re teken cre of by the administration after they return to the State in post lockdown. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik instructed the officials that the migrant workers should get the benefits, even if they do not have NFSA/SFSA ration cards.
In a bid to generate employment opportunity for the migrant labourers, Naveen also ordered authorities concerned to generate at least 10 lakh persondays per day under MGNREGS immediately. He further insisted the officials to consider tackling the COVID-19 pandemic as their major responsibility. It is not an additional duty, so the officers need to work accordingly, he added. The Chief Minister also advised the officers to draw up measures keeping in mind the upcoming situations over the first week of May. He also urged the observers to work on various facilities for the migrant workers at the Panchayat level.
Estimating the arrival of nearly 5 lakh migrant workers to the State, the Odisha Government formed dedicated teams of senior officers to look after specific areas.
In a significant development, within 48 hours of the announcement by the government of Odisha, more than 4.86lakh migrants had registered themselves to return back to the state. Bringing back such a large number of people was the biggest challenge for the state government at that moment.
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