India migrant workers get plane tickets to reach farms on time

Patna: A mushroom farmer from Delhi has booked air tickets for 20 migrant workers from Bihar after they failed to get train tickets to reach the national capital. All the migrant workers had been working at the mushroom farm of Pappan Singh for the past 20 years.

Reports said the workers had returned to their home in Bihar’s Samastipur district in May after they were stuck in Delhi for three months when the Indian government imposed a nationwide lockdown to fight the spread of coronavirus.

See more

• Photo essay: River Ganges flows with history and prophecy for India
• Photos: Heavy monsoon rains flood roads in Lahore
• India's largest crocodile park strapped for cash after COVID-19 lockdowns
• India: Celebrity couples who got married amid lockdown

The workers said that for the past month they had been trying to book train tickets to reach Delhi to join work but were unable to do so. With the mushroom farming season drawing closer and no seats available on any train, the workers eventually called up the farm owner to inform him.

“The moment we informed the employer about our problem, he told us not to worry and promised to send air tickets soon. Later, he sent air tickets for 20 workers,” a migrant worker Navin Ram told the media. It is estimated that he spent around Rs100,000 (Dh5,000) on arranging the flight tickets. The mushroom farming season runs from August to April.

“We are very excited to travel by plane. We are not nervous as we already flew once to Patna while returning home in May,” Navin said. At that time too, the flight tickets had been arranged by the employer for 10 returning migrants as trains were not running.

Pappan Singh told the media that these men from Bihar had been working in his farm for the past 20 years and had developed an emotional bond with them.

According to an official report, more than three million migrant workers have returned to Bihar after the lockdown. Reports said only a small section of migrant workers have returned to work and most are still staying in their homes, causing severe labour crisis in factories, industries and other projects.

According to a report in the media, nine out of 10 of India’s 63.3 million small businesses (termed as micro, small and medium enterprises or MSMEs) have restarted operations after the lockdown necessitated by COVID-19 but only one in four is producing at least half its capacity—largely on account of poor demand, logistical issues and their own financial troubles.

from World,Europe,Asia,India,Pakistan,Philipines,Oceania,Americas,Africa Feed https://ift.tt/3aWA8iP