Amaravati, April 16: In a bid to keep migrant workers at shelter homes amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Andhra Pradesh government is mulling giving Rs 2000 to each as financial assistance. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday suggested migrant workers be provided Rs 2000 each when they leave shelter homes once the lockdown is lifted so that they can travel to their native places. Coronavirus Tracker Live.

"This (Rs 2000) will encourage the migrant workers to stay put in the quarantine camps till the lockdown is lifted," an official was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying. Thousands of migrant workers have been kept in quarantine camps in several states after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the nationwide lockdown on March 24. This was done so that no person carrying coronavirus unknowingly could cross over to another state. After Bandra, Migrant Workers Protest in Surat Demanding They be Sent Home by Authorities As Coronavirus Lockdown Gets Extended.

While several labourers attempted to reach their homes by foot, many have complained about inadequate facilities at makeshift quarantine homes. Jagan Mohan Reddy sought details of the facilities being provided at quarantine centres and suggested that the poor people held up there should be given nutritious food like milk, vegetables, and eggs. Officials said they are already providing nutritious food to held up migrant workers.

Maharashtra and Gujarat recently reported incidents when migrant workers came out on streets amid the lockdown and demanded facilities so that they could reach their homes. In Surat, migrant workers protested twice, defying the lockdown. The day PM Modi announced an extension of the lockdown till May 3, a sea of migrant workers gathered outside the Bandra railway station in Mumbai.

Not willing to move, the stunned migrants staged a dharna demanding transportation back home and others started running around, compelling the police to mildly cane them, and after around two hours, Mumbai Police spokesperson and DCP Pranay Ashok said they had been dispersed and the situation was under control.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 16, 2020 08:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).