Ensure timely payment of wages for migrant labourers without any cut: Centre to States

States have been told to ensure timely payment of wages to labourers at their place of work during the period of lockdown without any cut. The Centre also directed States to initiate action against those who are asking labourers or students to vacate the premises.

New Delhi:The Centreon Sundayadvised State Governments to make adequate arrangements for food and shelter of poor and needy people including migrant labourers at the place of their work.

States have been further told to ensure timely payment of wages to labourers at their place of work during the period of lockdown without any cut, no demands for house rent from the labourers in this crisis situation.

The Centre also asked States to initiate action against those who are asking labourers or students to vacate the premises.

These directives were given at the end of video conferences held by Cabinet Secretary and Home Secretary Saturday evening and Sunday morning with Chief Secretaries and State DGPs.

Stop movement of people, allow only movement of goods

Directions were also issued to ensure district and state borders effectively sealed. States were also directed to ensure there is no movement of people across cities or on highways.

Only movement of goods should be allowed. DMs and SPs should be made personally responsible for implementation of these directions which have been issued under the DM Act.

These directives assume significance in the back drop of scores of migrant labourers are returning to their hometowns from major cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, etc despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to not to venture out under any kind of circumstances.

It was also noted that those who are on travel violating the norms of lockdown will be subjected to a minimum 14 days of quarantine in government quarantine facilities.

Detailed instructions on monitoring of such persons during quarantine have been issued to States.

It was impressed upon all the States that three weeks of strict enforcement is essential to contain spread of corona virus.