By F. M. Britto

Raipur, May 19, 2020: More than hundred buses have been deployed in Chhattisgarh state to ferry the hundreds of migrant laborers walking through the state to reach their destinations, reports Dainik Bhaskar.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel gave orders on May 17 to all the 27 district collectors to send the migrant laborers passing through the central Indian state on their way to their way to home in neighboring states of Orissa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, W. Bengal and Maharashtra.

He also directed the administration to provide the barefooted walkers foot-wears and food. “We don’t lack money to provide them foot-wears,” asserted the Congress chief minister.

With 10,000 to 15,000 migrants reaching Chhattisgarh every day, the state authorities say that so far 210,000 laborers have reached the state’s border. Only 40 percent of them are said to be from Chhattisgarh.

Due to the return of the state’s 96,696 migrant laborers from other states in last five days, 33 more positive cases have been identified in various villages of the state. Only the capital city Raipur was the declared red zone district in the state until lockdown 3.0.

The chief minister has directed the state’s 90,000 anganwadi workers and their helpers to visit the rural families and check their health. But it remains a challenge to identify all those who have reached their homes by foot. Those who have returned by the trains are kept in the quarantine. The government reportedly has spent 432.9 million rupees on them so far.

Compared to other Indian states, Chhattisgarh had less Covid-19 positive cases until lockdown 2.0 and the number of the discharged cases was also higher. It is because as soon as the chief minister heard of the entry of Coronavirus into the country, he closed down all educational institutions, much before the March 24 national lockdown.

The school students, whose exams are not yet conducted, are promoted without exams and the private schools are told not to charge fees during the vacation. Postponing the exams in the colleges, online studies have been begun for them.

State Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu strictly implemented the national curfew and other lockdown rules to prevent the spread of the pandemic in the state. About 1 billion rupees were already earmarked to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, reports Dainik Bhaskar.

To care the poor, the number of villagers employed under the MNREGA and beedi leaves collection was more than in other states. During the lockdown 5.6 million ration card holders were given rice for three months, besides salt and gram for the BPL card holders.

School and anganwadi children and the women beneficiaries are provided with dry food materials. Through women self-help groups and village cottage industries, masks are stitched and distributed to villagers. 120 crore rupees are allotted for water supply in the urban municipalities.

In Mana, near Raipur, a 100-bed hospital has been opened for the Covid-19 patients, besides in two other districts. Though many shops and factories are opened during the day in all the green zones, on Saturdays and Sundays strict lockdown is imposed from May 9, except the essential food supplies in the morning.

Compensation was provided to the farmers for the loss due to the rains during the lockdown. Sufficient seeds and fertilizers have been kept in stock for the oncoming cultivation season by the agricultural ministry headed by Rabindra Chowbey. Tax exemption is given for buses and trucks and old licenses are declared to be valid up to June 30.

The government meets the expenses of the trains to bring the migrant laborers of the state. Pregnant women and babies’ health are being monitored by the village health workers.

But many women groups, including the opposition BJP who promoted the liquor, continue to protest demanding the closure of liquor shops, which had been promised by the Congress election manifesto. The Congress government has increased the tax and reduced its available time in order to create the revenue to meet the needs of the state.