Bihar provides financial help to 1.3 lakh stranded migrant workers

PATNA: Bihar has became the first state to provide financial assistance of Rs1,000 to its lakhs of migrant workers stranded in other parts of the country due to the nationwide lockdown. A total sum of Rs10.35 crore was transferred on Monday directly in the bank accounts of over 1.03 lakh migrant workers of Bihar outside the state. CM Nitish Kumar initiated the process under the ‘Mukhya Mantri Vishesh Sahayata Yojana’ from the CM Relief Fund.
“Within minutes of the clicking of the ‘mouse’ by the CM, Rs1,000 per person was transferred in the bank accounts of 1,03,579 migrant workers through the direct benefit transfer (DBT) system,” disaster management department (DMD) principal secretary Pratyaya Amrit told TOI.
Acting swiftly on the CM’s wish on April 1 to provide Rs1,000 to each stranded migrant worker of Bihar, the DMD uploaded a link to its official website and launched an app on April 3. The department asked the stranded workers to apply for the assistance either through the link or the app. The link was also sent to the phone numbers of all those who dialled Bihar government’s different helpline numbers for assistance, Pratyaya said.
More than 3.10 lakh migrants from Bihar have so far applied for the financial help in just three working days. “More applications are still pouring in on the department website,” he said.
“Out of the total applications received by this afternoon, a maximum 55,264 came from Delhi, followed by 41,050 from Haryana, 30,576 from Maharashtra and 25,638 from Gujarat,” an official at the CM office said. Eight applications were received from Lakshadweep as well.
Of the total 1.03 lakh migrants who were provided assistance on Monday, 7,281 originally hailed from Saran, followed by 6,821 from Muzaffarpur and 6,792 from Madhubani districts. Minimum 469 beneficiaries belonged to Arwal district.