4,000 Andhra Fishermen Brought Back From Gujarat, To Get Rs 2,000 Each

Over 4,000 fishermen from Andhra Pradesh are being brought back from Gujarat where they have been stranded due to the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.

The 4,056 fishermen were packed into 52 buses manned by personnel from the Gujarat administration and left early today. They are expected to reach home in three days.

"The last bus left Gujarat at 3 am (on Wednesday). Considering it could take about three days by road, we can expect them to arrive in the state within the next 72 hours," said an official working on the operation.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy has asked the officials to ensure that the entire operation is executed smoothly without any hassles. He also decided that Rs 2,000 will be handed to each of the fishermen upon their arrival in order to help them with day-to-day expenditures.

To make sure that the return of these fishermen doesn't result in a spike in the spread of COVID-19 in the state, the authorities have decided that all the fishermen will be quarantined according to the Health Ministry guidelines upon reaching their respective districts and tested during the same timeframe before being allowed to go to their respective residences.

The strict nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 that included measures like severing transport links, have taken a toll on the India's estimated 10 crore migrant workers, triggering an exodus from cities where they worked in garment factories, building sites and brick kilns.

Lakhs of migrant labourers said they are in limbo, struggling to access aid to survive the six-week lockdown in the states where they work and appealing for help from officials back home.

The central government, which has been criticised for announcing an abrupt shutdown without planning and preparation two months into the pandemic, on Wednesday announced it will finally allow inter-state movement of people subject to precautions like a mandatory quarantine and health checks.