The Union labour ministry on Monday, September 14, told Parliament that the government has no data on the deaths of the migrants, so no compensation will be provided.
More than 10 million migrants made their way back to their home states from various parts of the country after the prime minister announced a national lockdown with barely three-and-a-half- hours notice to the Indian people.
Decrying the government's bizarre response, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi tweeted, 'The Modi government does not know how many migrant workers died and how many jobs were lost during the lockdown. If you didn't count, did the deaths not occur?'
'The pain is in the fact that it had no effect on the government, the world saw their deaths, it's only the Modi government which didn't get the news.'
Dominic Xavier is puzzled by the government revelation that it has no idea how many migrants died during the long and dangerous march home.
Minimum governance, maximum ignorance?