The Home ministry has said that the Centre has no record of migrant labourers who died while returning home during the countrywide lockdown following the corona pandemic. This was stated by minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai on September 15, in a written reply to a question on 'protection of migrants and labourers before the lockdown' asked by Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Mala Roy. The minister, in his reply also stated that the large scale exodus of migrant workers from their workplaces to their home states was triggered by 'fake news' that generated panic among them.