PM-CARES Fund: Don't mistake Rs 1,000 crore will go into hands of poor migrants, says Chidambaram
Chidambaram says those reaching their villages will have no jobs and no work. "How will he (a migrant) survive and support his family?" says the Congress leader
- May 14, 2020,
- Updated May 14, 2020 12:47 PM IST
Former finance minister P Chidambaram has said the government allocated Rs 1,000 crore from the PM-CARES Trust but one should not think the money would go into the hands of migrants.
He said the funds will go to states to bear the cost of migrant workers' expenses like travel, accommodation, medicine and food while they were being transported back to home states.
Raising the question of migrant workers' livelihood, Chidambaram said those reaching their villages would have no jobs and no work. "How will he (a migrant) survive and support his family?" he said.
On the first tranche of the Modi government's mega stimulus package, Chidambaram said there was nothing in it for poor, hungry and devastated migrant workers who had walked - and many thousands are still walking - back to their home states. "This is cruel blow dealt with those who toiled every day," he said.
He said though the FM announced some support measures for MSMEs, these were skewed in favour of the larger MSMEs. "I think the bulk of the 6.3 crore MSMEs were left high and dry," he said.
Former finance minister P Chidambaram has said the government allocated Rs 1,000 crore from the PM-CARES Trust but one should not think the money would go into the hands of migrants.
He said the funds will go to states to bear the cost of migrant workers' expenses like travel, accommodation, medicine and food while they were being transported back to home states.
Raising the question of migrant workers' livelihood, Chidambaram said those reaching their villages would have no jobs and no work. "How will he (a migrant) survive and support his family?" he said.
On the first tranche of the Modi government's mega stimulus package, Chidambaram said there was nothing in it for poor, hungry and devastated migrant workers who had walked - and many thousands are still walking - back to their home states. "This is cruel blow dealt with those who toiled every day," he said.
He said though the FM announced some support measures for MSMEs, these were skewed in favour of the larger MSMEs. "I think the bulk of the 6.3 crore MSMEs were left high and dry," he said.