DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand government has decided to provide two months of free ration to returning migrants who are economically vulnerable.
Madan Kaushik, state cabinet minister and spokesperson of the government said, "The migrate who are returning to the state will be provided 10 kilograms of rations, essentials and other items to sustain themselves for two months. In this duration, we will manage to get them jobs according to their skills."
The decision comes after more than one lakh migrants who work various jobs including manual labor and daily wagers have returned to the state.
More than 2.26 lakh migrants have registered from different parts of the country to return to Uttarakhand out of which more than 1 lakh have returned.
The state government has already drafted a plan unveiled to encourage people who have returned to the state from other parts of the country, in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic, to stay back and contribute to the economy, instead of looking for jobs elsewhere once the crisis is over.
The initiative titled ‘Mukhyamantri Swarojgar Yojana’ will provide investment subsidy in the range of 15% to 25% to people who want to start their own businesses such as restaurant, beauty parlour, pisciculture, dairy farm, bar and meat shop in the state, said the officials.
Uttarakhand Migration Commission in a recent study concluded that 80% of migrants who have returned to their homes in 10 hill districts of the state will leave once the situation is back to normal.
The state government had earlier instructed the migration commission to study 'Reverse Migration' of migrants returning from other states to hilly areas of Uttarakhand amidst COVID-19 outbreak.
The state government had earlier asked the commission to draft a plan and suggest measures to inspire these migrants not to leave the state and provide opportunities in the state only.