The exodus of labourers had started within days of PM announcing a countrywide lockdown in March. (File)
The Union labour ministry has said there is no data on migrant deaths and hence there is no question of compensation. The ministry's response -- which triggered shock and criticism from the opposition -- came following a written question in the Lok Sabha on Day One of parliament's monsoon session.
The ministry, however, admitted that more than 1 crore migrants made their way back to their home states from various corners of the country.
In the session - the first since the countrywide lockdown was imposed -- the ministry was asked whether the government has any data on migrant workers who returned to their states.
The ministry was also asked whether the government is aware that a number of migrant workers lost lives during return to the hometown and the details if any. The Government was also asked about the economic assistance or compensation given to such families.
In his written response, Union labour minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar said, "No such data is maintained. Question does not arise in view of the above".
"Shocking that the labour ministry says it has no data on migrant deaths and hence no question of compensation," the Congress's Digvijaya Singh said. "Sometimes I feel we are blind or the government feels it can take everyone for granted," he added.
The exodus of labourers had started within days of Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing the countrywide lockdown in March.
With their sources of income drying up overnight, the labourers some of whom were evicted by their landlords, started footing it home. Tired, hungry and sometimes ailing, many of them died shortly before reaching home -reports of which from across the country made it to headlines.
In face of opposition criticism over the issue, the Centre asked states to seal borders and after a certain period, started running special trains for the labourers.
But following confusion over who was to pay for tickets and mismanagement of lists, many labourers continued to find their way home on foot, three-wheelers and illegal trucks, sometimes leading to fatal results.
