Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday said that the State did not have a migrants issue in the light of the COVID-19 lockdown, as he had directed the industry to absorb all such labourers stranded in the State.
“Extensive arrangements had been made by the State government to provide shelter and food to the migrant labourers, who could not leave the State in view the nationwide restrictions and sealing of borders,” said Capt. Amarinder during a Congress Working Committee meeting, presided by party president Sonia Gandhi and held through videoconferencing.
In response to the concern expressed by Ms. Gandhi on the arrangements for farmers in view of the onset of the harvesting season, the Chief Minister said all arrangements were being made to ensure smooth operations, with strict maintenance of social distancing protocols in the Mandis. The State had also urged the central government to incentivise farmers to go in for staggered transportation of the grain to the mandis.
Briefing the party chief about the current situation in Punjab, which has a large NRI population, the Chief Minister said the State had so far been able to contain the spread of the disease through intensive tracing and surveillance.The Punjab government was also preparing to deal with the eventuality of the disease acquiring larger epidemic proportions by May or June.
The Chief Minister also told the CWC that it was not receiving its GST share from the Centre, which was causing serious financial problems.
