Priyanka forms 'highway task force' to help migrant labourers

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has constituted a highway task force for people who have been stranded or are forced to take the long walk back home due to the lack of transportation facility in the wake of the nationwide lockdown that is in place to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.

However, she also said that without the government's help, it is not possible to help the migrant labourers affected by the lockdown.

In a video message, Priyanka Gandhi asked that if planes could be sent to evacuate people from different foreign countries, why can't the government help its own people go home.

She said that in times of crisis, everyone wants to be with their family, and for this the Congress has constituted a "highway task force" to help the stranded migrant labourers. But without the support of the government, it is not possible to help people in such a large scale, she said.

Priyanka Gandhi also said that she was saddened to see the images of people stranded at the Delhi-UP border without food and shelter. "These are our people and we should help them," she said.

The Congress leader on Friday also wrote a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying the state government should provide relief to the labourers, vendors, destitute, widows and others who have been deeply affected by the lockdown.

She requested the state government to ensure that labourers who are coming to Uttar Pradesh as part of a reverse migration should be given facilities to reach their homes safely.

The Congress leader also urged the UP government to start a helpline for displaced labourers so that they can contact the concerned officials.

She asked the Chief Minister to provide food grains to slums in urban areas besides ensuring adequate medical help to all.-IANS