Over 6 lakh migrants registered with the Rajasthan government, asking for help to get home.
A day after the Union home ministry gave a go ahead for the movement of migrants, many states, including Rajasthan, have started ferrying out the people. In Rajasthan, nearly 40,000 migrants were sent on their way – the majority to Madhya Pradesh and some to neighbouring Haryana.
A total of over six lakh migrants have registered with the Rajasthan government, asking for help to get home.
Sources said through the morning, nearly 40,000 migrants were moved by Rajasthan Roadways buses.
Around 26,000 people were transported to the borders of Madhya Pradesh. Around 2,000 were moved to the Haryana border from the western districts of Rajasthan, where they had gathered to work during the harvest season. A similar exercise is underway at the Dungarpur and Sirohi districts bordering Gujarat.
Another 500 people, residents of Rajasthan who migrated to other areas for work, were also sent home.
Officials said the state's Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary are coordinating with the migrants' home states. "Migrants are registering online with the Rajasthan government for phased movement. Those in shelter homes will move first," an official said.
The state has suggested that trains be used to help migrants move. But no such allowance has been made by the Union home ministry, which issued a formal notice yesterday for the movement of migrants.
In the notice, the ministry said the migrants should be screened for coronavirus and only those who have no symptoms, be allowed to go.
The mode of transport, the ministry said, should be bus and all rules of social distancing should be maintained during transportation.
Even before the yesterday's ministry clearance, Rajasthan has sent back students from Uttar Pradesh stranded in Kota.