Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister today requested the Centre for proper provision in SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) for the payment of expenses incurred on interstate travel of migrant workers and others travelling within the state.
The Chief Minister in his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that more than 1.50 lakh migrant workers and other persons of Chhattisgarh are stranded in other states and are anxious to return to their home due to the circumstances arising out of the lockdown.
Workers have started returning from other states and more than 27 thousand workers have returned to Chhattisgarh by their own means and bus facilities provided by the state government.
Apart from this, the process of bringing back about one lakh 32 thousand workers through rail and buses has started from May 11. There is currently no provision for the workers to pay the expenses incurred in rail and bus transport from SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund). The state government has also decided to provide food, water and bus facilities till state border to workers going to other states via Chhattisgarh. Large amount is expected to be spent in transport and other facilities of workers. Mr. Baghel has written in the letter that Covid-19 has been classified as a national disaster’ by the Government of India.
Referring to the letter dated 14 March 2020 from the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi, he said that in this letter a provision has been made to spend up to 25 per cent limit from the State Disaster Response Fund out of the provisioned amount of SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) to keep cases under quarantine, sample collection of individuals and screening measures for cluster contention operation, contact tracing.
In addition to setting up laboratory for prevention of Covid-19, purchase of necessary equipment, health department, police department, purchase of personal protection kit for fire services, thermal screener, ventilator, air purification equipment and others used in hospital Provision for expenditure up to 10 percent limit has been made from SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) amount for purchase of material.
In addition, provision has been made by the March 28 letter of the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, for expenditure from the SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) for the operation of relief camps during the lockdown period for migrant workers and needy homeless persons.
The Chief Minister has written in the letter that a large amount is likely to be spent in transport and other facilities of the workers. In these circumstances, proper provision should be made in the SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) for the payment of inter-state transport of workers and other persons and transportation expenses from one place to another within the state. Mr. Baghel has requested the Prime Minister to give appropriate instructions to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India in this regard.
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