Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has lamented the lack of coordination at Centre over the issue of migrants workers, many of them left stranded in major metro cities across the country as they strive to get back to their hometowns amid the ongoing lockdown.
"It has been a complaint (the way they have handled the issue)... There is no coordination between the Home Secretary and the Cabinet Secretary. Each official has a different take on the issue when we speak to them," Gehlot said during an exclusive conversation with India TV.
The Rajasthan Chief Minister also complained that one of the concerns that was leading to the confusion was that the Union Home Ministry wasn't spelling out written instructions when it came to the stranded migrants.
He said that he had been in constant touch with the Union Home Minister over the last few days, in a bid to collectively resolve the pressing issue, said to be most tragic episode of the ongoing lockdown restrictions.
"I hope that the issue is resolved in the next 4-5 days," said Gehlot.
Weighing in on the debate around sending back students in Kota to their respective home states, Gehlot said that it was "unfortunate" that some political leaders had been criticising the decision, in the backdrop of stranded workers not receiving the same attention from authorities.
"One should understand that these students are very young. Many of them had gone into depression over being left away from home after the lockdown began. Two or three of them even committed suicide in the last few days. A girl attempted suicide. Their problems required immediate attention and it is good that the states, in consultation with each other, acted on it," said the veteran Congress leader.
Gehlot disclosed that Punjab was the newest state to be in touch with the state government over transporting the students stranded in Kota back to the northern state. "Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand have already sent buses to take their students back from Kota," he said.
Gehlot was speaking to your channel on the eve of a crucial video conference meeting between the state chief ministers and the Prime Minister.
The state of Rajasthan has so far presented a mixed picture as far as the response to tackling the coronavirus pandemic is concerned. While the Bhilwara district has been able to contain the epidemic, now hailed as 'Bhilwara Model', the situation in several cities, including Jaipur, is said to be dire as local authorities struggle to contain the spread of the virus.
The desert state has recorded 2,152 coronavirus infections till date, which have included 36 deaths.
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