New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the entire country feels bad about the plight of migrant workers and announced free food grain supply to migrants for 2 months.

The cost will be fully borne by the government of India

Sitharaman, unveiling the second tranche of measures of the government’s self-reliant campaign, said migrants in various states require food-grain assistance.

“Migrants who neither come under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) nor are they state card beneficiaries in states where they are stationed will be provided 5 kg of grains per person and 1 kg of ‘chana’ per family for two months”, said Sitharaman.

Emphasizing the government’s commitment to support migrant workers in the tough times during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Sitharaman said: “About 8 crore migrants are expected to benefit and Rs 3,500 crore will be spent on this intervention for 2 months.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with a view to reviving the economy left devastated by the nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus spread, had announced a Rs 20-lakh crore special economic package.

Sitharaman, during the press briefing, reiterated that the government is committed to the welfare of migrant workers. She emphasized that the entire food grain intervention for the migrants will be borne by the Centre. “The cost will be fully borne by the government of India. State governments would be responsible for the implementation and identification of migrants through guidelines”, added Sitharaman.

She said under MNREGA support for migrants, 14.62 crore person-days of work generated till May 13 and actual expenditure to date is around Rs 10,000 crore. “States/UTs are advised to provide work to migrant workers as per the Act. Planning is on for continuing MNREGA works in monsoon as well as plantations, horticulture, livestock related sheds”, said Sitharaman.

Also, the Cenre has permitted state governments to utilise the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for setting up shelter for migrants and providing them food, water etc,

Sitharaman said the Centre, under Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Package (Self-reliant India package), has provided support for migrants and urban poor. “Central government also released Rs 11,002 crore of its contribution in advance to all state governments on April 3, to augment funds in their SDRF,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Centre, in a statement, said that hygienically prepared meals a day were provided three times a day to the residents of Shelter for Urban Homeless (SUH) during lockdown with effect from March 28.

It added that the disbursal of revolving fund to SHGs was on-boarded on PAISA portal in April 2020 on a pilot basis in Gujarat and it is under process of being rolled out across all the states in May 2020. “7,200 new SHGs of urban poor have been formed during the period starting March 15,” said an official.

The Centre said to promote formalisation of labour, it is emphasizing on appointment letters for all workers along with annual health check-up for employees. It also said it is promoting universalisation of the right of minimum wages and timely payment of wages to all workers including unorganised workers.