Migrant workers in Amritsar protest against State Govt after special train gets cancelled

Migrant workers in Amristar protested against Chief Minister Amarinder Singh-led State government on Friday morning after the train they were scheduled to board to return to their native place got cancelled. A migrant, Pulkit while speaking to news agency ANI said that on Thursday, their health screening was done and they boarded a bus also only to be informed later that their train has been cancelled.

'We request the govt to send us home'

"We are forced to stay on the road now. We request the Government to send us home," he said.

The Indian Railways has ferried over 50 lakh migrant workers on board 3,736 'Shramik Special' trains since May 1, according to official data. Of these, 3,157 have already reached their destination.

The top five states and Union Territories from where maximum trains originated are Gujarat (979), Maharashtra (695), Punjab (397), Uttar Pradesh (263) and Bihar (263). These Shramik Special Trains were terminated in various states across the country. The top five states where maximum trains terminated their journey are Uttar Pradesh (1520), Bihar (1296), Jharkhand (167), Madhya Pradesh (121), Odisha (139).

Punjab CM asks Centre to give Rs 10,000 to poor people

Meanwhile, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh on Thursday demanded that the Centre must give Rs 10,000 to the poor and provide financial assistance to small and medium enterprises to resume operation. In a video message as part of the Congress party's 'Speak Up India' campaign, the CM said, "We want the government to give Rs 10,000 to poor people."

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The government should give this amount to poor people who have been contributing to producing foodgrain and also working in factories, he said. The CM also sought financial assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises for reviving them.

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Nineteen new COVID-19 cases were reported in Punjab on Thursday, taking the total number of cases in the State to 2,158. According to the health bulletin issued by the Department of Information and Public Relations, there are 172 active cases in the State. A total of 1946 patients have recovered in the State while 2985 results are awaited. So far, 40 people have succumbed to the infection in the state.

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(With agency inputs)