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The Migrants' Stories - Rediff.com News

How Life has CHANGED for Bihar's Bicycle Girl

'Thanks to monetary help from several people, we are comfortable and living...

Why India doesn't have any data on migrant workers

Will the government wait for a new law or start counting the invisible...

6 months on, migrants caught between hope and despair

Six months after the lockdown was imposed, two dozen migrant workers were...

Opposition attacks Centre on migrant workers crisis

Several opposition members, including from the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham and...

Dom's Take: Who cares for dead migrants?

Dominic Xavier is puzzled by the government revelation that it has no idea...

Migrants must not bear cost of Covid: Centre to states

Labour ministry guidelines say workers returning to cities must get housing,...

Hunger, hopelessness driving migrants back to cities

The employers, many of whom had virtually abandoned the migrant labourers,...

Cured migrant workers turn 'Corona Warriors' in WB

Forty-nine migrant workers have been inducted by the state government as...

WB didn't handle migrants issue properly: Bombay HC

'The government there at one point did not even permit migrant labourers to...

SC pulls up Maha govt for migrant crisis

Noting there have been instances of "excess" by police and paramilitary...

Amid China and Covid-19 let's not forget the migrants

If solutions are not found, adequately and in good time, things could simply...

'We want to give voice to the workers' misery'

In one case, the folks at SWAN discovered that of the Rs 1,500 they'd...

PM launches employment scheme for migrant workers

Launching the scheme, Modi said during the nationwide lockdown, the talent...

Amitabh Bachchan arranges flights for migrants

Migrants hailing from Gonda, Ambedkar Nagar, Unnao and other parts in Uttar...

Will work till last migrant reaches home: Sonu Sood

The actor, who has been catapulted to the national spotlight for his work in...

Send all migrants home within 15 days: SC to govts

The top court also directed authorities to consider withdrawing all cases...

Sushil Modi seeks new law to protect migrants

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader also said that the troubles of the...

'Huge lapses' by Maharashtra in managing migrants: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the worst Covid-19 affected state of...

Sonu Sood stopped from meeting migrants

A Mumbai Police official said the actor was stopped by the Railway Protection...

We might have made some mistakes: Shah on migrants

'We might have lacked somewhere but our commitment was absolute. We might...

SC says 15 days enough to send migrants home

A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, SK Kaul and MR Shah took note of the...

AAP's Sanjay Singh to send 33 migrants home by flights

The decision was praised by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who said it...

Migrant worker dies on Shramik train in UP

The death triggered panic in the compartment with people suspecting that...

Urban India's SELFISH response to migrant distress

'Politicians's slogans on social distancing, showered like petals from their...

Dom's Take: Modi and the migrants

All the real and imagined achievements of the Modi government's first year in...

How law school alumni helped these migrants fly home

Shyel Trehan, an alumna of the 2000 batch of the National Law School, was one...

Sonu Sood airlifts Odisha migrants from Kerala

The group, comprising on 147 women and 20 men, were airlifted by an Air Asia...

Don't charge migrants for bus/train back home, says SC

The apex court, which passed interim directions, said all migrant workers who...

Migrants reach home after 'ride' of a lifetime

Recounting the experiences of the morning, one which they will remember all...

Back home, migrant workers stare at uncertain future

Migrants are no longer sure if they would be able to live by Modi's mantra of...

Mamata hits out at Centre over migrant trains to WB

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's...

Child dies as man hunts for milk at railway station

The four-and-a-half-year-old son of Bihari migrants based in Delhi died at...

Delhi farmer sends 10 migrant workers home by plane

Their dreams of returning home finally taking wing after two months of...

SC takes cognisance of migrants' miseries

Referring to various media reports showing the 'unfortunate and miserable...

Shramik trains ferried 44 lakh migrants since May 1

Of the total trains, 2,875 have terminated, while 401 are in transit.The top...

11 migrants reach Bihar from Gurgaon on cycle rickshaw

Kumar had registered for the Shramik Special train.Everyday, he hoped his...

'Greatest man-made tragedy in India since Partition'

Cautioning that there will be social and psychological consequences for the...

Tejashwi reaches out to migrant whose photo went viral

The RJD leader was moved by the latter's tale of grief and loss and made his...

Students, migrants take 1st flight as services resume

Those who took first flights from the Indira Gandhi International Airport...

No end to migrants' struggle even after reaching home

The corona-fuelled lockdown having shattered their dreams, they are now...

SEE: Safar, a moving video on the migrants' long march

'I have dedicated the video to the kindest people of this great nation.'

Feeling 'cheated' by parties, migrants vow not to vote

'All governments disappointed us. Now we don't have faith in any of them'

Exodus shatters migrant kids' 'Big-city school' dreams

'I like it when my daughter talks in English fluently. She is smarter in...

Train ferrying migrants from Maha to UP reaches Odisha

The Railways said it had intentionally changed the route.

Why the poor won't trust this government anymore

'"We have lost our jobs, we have lost our savings, we have been beaten up for...

Chaos at Palace Grounds as migrants wish to go home

Officials said 1,500 people had registered to return to their respective...

Cong releases film on Rahul's meet with migrants

The documentary captures the pain and helplessness the migrant labourers and...

Dom's Take: The Migrant Marathon

Dominic Xavier's take on the horrific hardships millions of migrants have...

50% of COVID-19 cases in Bihar are returning migrants

What worries state officials is that Bihar expects to receive more than 1...

'I won't go back, I will stay in my village'

'Unlike Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu, there is no opportunity for workers to...

Sonia calls Oppn meet to discuss migrants issue

A meeting convened by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday afternoon...

1,230 migrant workers test Covid positive in UP

"Over 5.42 lakh migrants were screened by health workers and among them 1,230...

Migrant children battle heat, hunger and long journey

'Children need milk. If there is no money, how can one buy it'

First lockdown & now cyclone: Woes mount for migrants

Migrant labourers in South 24 Parganas who lost their jobs due to the...

'The migrants need help now more than before'

'Many are coming hungry and thirsty.' 'Some told us they were stopped from...

Will welcome migrants with open heart: MP CM

He also rejected reports that have hinted possible increase in coronavirus...

15-yr-old girl cycles 1,200 km carrying father

Kumari, a lion-hearted 15-year-old, cycled all the way from Gurugram in...

Labourer dies of hunger, dehydration on way to home

Pintu Pawar's dead body was found on Monday at Dhanora in Beed district, 200...

How Yogi will tackle the homecoming migrants' crisis

The CM recently instructed officials to prepare a roadmap for providing local...

Why migrant workers in Surat are turning violent

'There are 8-12 members living in the same accommodation. While in...

Who botched up the migrant crisis?

'Why has this turned out to be one of the greatest humanitarian crisis that...

200 non-AC trains to run daily from June 1: Goyal

'Indian Railways will run 200 non-AC trains daily as per the time table from...

Mumbai: Hundreds of migrants gather at Bandra station

The Western Railway in a statement later said a Shramik Special train was...

Migrant in viral pic discharged, taken home on cycle

Rampukar's wife Bimal Devi had walked about 3-4 km towards the hospital on...

Our families need us in this tough time, say migrants

"I have only Rs 200 left with me. I have not even got the refund for the...

Centre issues SOP for train travel of migrants

The SOP said the train schedule, protocols for entry and movement of...

Hoping to go home, migrants walk to rlwy station daily

'They say government is doing so much but ham to ab bhi yahi hain'

20L migrants ferried through Shramik trains till date

While Uttar Pradesh has allowed 837 trains, Bihar has permitted 428 and...

Remains of the day as India exits lockdown

'This is a critical story that Modi seems to grasp far better -- almost...

Priyanka spars with Yogi over buses for migrants

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's office on Tuesday said the...

Maha: 4 killed as bus carrying migrants hits truck

The accident took place at Kolwan village around 3.30 am when the bus was on...

Does Modi even care about India's worst human crisis?

'Reports of hitherto 'atmanirbhar' breadwinners having to stand in line for a...

Hiding from police, migrants try to walk home in heat

'They treat us like garbage. We are not humans for them'

Just take me home, son: Mother's plea to daily wager

She couldn't get a seat on the bus and neither could her son Sahab Lal, who...

We poor will just die, says migrant in viral image

Rampukar Pandit, whose mournful face became emblematic of the tragedy faced...

Driver uses money saved for wedding to feed migrants

'I saw several people on roads who could not even afford to have one meal and...

Modiji has failed us, says migrant

Just 20 years old, Inderlal Kamalsingh Dhurve is a migrant labourer, a...

'Dramabaaz' Rahul wasted migrants' time: Sitharaman

"They are calling us dramabaaz. What happened yesterday by stopping migrants...

Migrant in viral photo reaches Bihar, couldn't see son

The powerful image of the distraught man, struggling to reach home in...

Gujarat: Migrants, locals clash with cops at 2 places

"A group of agitated migrants resorted to vandalism by damaging vehicles on a...

Auraiya road accident: 1 more migrant dies, toll 26

24 migrant workers were declared dead on Saturday early morning when a...

139 migrants returning home have died in road mishaps

Many of the tragedies occurred in the dark, which is when it is cooler to...

Give free ration to 8 cr migrants: Centre to states

According to the food ministry, about 142 lakh migrants will benefit in Uttar...

Rahul interacts with migrant workers amid lockdown

The Congress leader, dressed in black pants and a white kurta, was seen...

Dashboard to monitor movement of migrants launched

To capture the information regarding movement of migrants and facilitate the...

25 migrants killed in trailer-truck collision in UP

PM Modi, BJP president J P Nadda, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Delhi...

WB to bear full cost of migrants returning by trains

Banerjee said on Thursday that her government made arrangements for 105 more...

Railways has run 1,074 Shramik trains so far

During the last three days, more than 2 lakh persons have been transported...

The tragic story behind this viral photo of a migrant

PTI photographer Atul Yadav recounts his meeting with Rampukar Pandit on a...

Why migrants prefer trucks over trains to return home

The migrants said that they prefer trucks and tempos to go back to their...

See: Why these migrants won't come back to Mumbai

'If we don't get any bus from here, we will start walking home.''What else...

Provide food, shelter to migrant: MHA to states

'Ensure they board special trains to reach their native places'

6 migrants killed, 95 injured in road accidents in UP

Six migrant workers were killed and 95 others injured in separate road...

932 Shramik trains have ferried 11L migrants so far

Out of the 932 trains which have been operated so far, 215 are in transit...

SC says it can't stop or monitor migrants' movement

A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao refused to entertain an application...

Coronavirus cases soar as migrants, others reach home

As people crisscross the country, eager to return to their homes, the cases...

Migrants pelt stones on MP-Maha border

A large number of migrants were waiting for food and transport on...

Cong dubs govt's stimulus package as 'jumla package'

He said the migrants and poor people had great expectations after the prime...

Govt announces free food grain to migrants for 2 mnths

8 crore migrant workers will get 5 kilogram of grains per person and 1...

Govt plans rapid pool testing of migrants, returnees

The same testing technique would also be used for monitoring in green zones...

1,000 migrants protesting in Mumbai to go home charged

"Hundreds of stranded people, who wanted to go to their hometowns, gathered...

UP roadways bus runs over 6 migrants; 8 die in MP

A government official in Lucknow said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi...

PM CARES allocates Rs 3,100 cr for vaccine, migrants

Rs 2,000 crore will be earmarked for the purchase of ventilators and Rs 1,000...

4 returning migrants, infant killed in 2 road mishaps

A truck carrying a group of 54 migrant labourers and their families from...

PM failed to address migrants' woes in speech: Cong

'HEADLINE HUNTING. A NUMBER -20 LAKH CRORES. NO DETAILS'

Migrant worker dies on board 'Shramik Special' train

There was no confirmation yet on whether the migrant had tested positive for...

Why migrants are leaving Mumbai on cycle

After five weeks of lockdown, migrant workers' patience ran out and so did...

What CMs told PM Modi during video meet on COVID-19

While some CMs suggested reopening economic activity in phases, others...

Railways to run 100 'Shramik special' trains daily

The opposition has been critical of the Centre's handling of the situation,...

Migrant workers leave Mumbai in taxis, auto rickshaws

Union officials said with increasing possibility of further extension of the...

Now, 1,700 passengers, 3 stops for Shramik trains

Bihar has accepted the most workers back with 100 trains, West Bengal has...

Enable travel for workers to go home: Centre to states

In a letter to chief secretaries of all states and union territories, Union...

366 Shramik trains run so far, 4 lakh migrants ferried

While 287 trains have already reached their destinations, 79 trains are in...

Centre-Bengal engage in fresh tussle over migrants

Shah said not allowing trains to reach West Bengal is "injustice" to the...

302 Shramik trains ferried 3.4 lakh migrants so far

Since the beginning of running the Shramik Special trains, Gujarat remained...

Migrants clash with cops in Surat, over 100 detained

The migrants demanded that the district administration should arrange for...

Bihar's great ghar wapsi: Is the state prepared?

Official figures say 1.8 lakh workers have returned home to Bihar....

'After migrants, COVID-19 crisis to hit middle class'

'The government will have to provide something for migrant workers or...

Special train takes bodies of Aurangabad victims home

"The mortal remains of the 16 migrant labourers, who died after they were run...

16 migrants sleeping on tracks crushed by goods train

The migrant workers were walking along the rail tracks apparently to escape...

Don't risk your life, be patient: Maha CM to migrants

Thackeray said he was in constant touch with the Centre over the issue of...

Karnataka to run trains for migrants from Friday

On Thursday, the government wrote to Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,...

'Middle class has a selfish attitude'

'Oh god, these workers will now spread the virus! Their only concern was to...

K'taka stops migrants' trains after CM meets builders

Several migrants in Bengaluru were desperate to return home as they were out...

115 Shramik trains have ferried 1 lakh migrants so far

Till Tuesday night, the national transporter had run 88 trains for the...

Maha seeks clarity on train fares for migrants

These workers do not have jobs and the Railways should not charge train fare...

Railways spent Rs 50 cr to move 70K migrants in 5 days

A day after opposition parties, including the Congress launched a scathing...

Uttam's Take: Why did PM CARES ignore migrants?

Uttam Ghosh asks why the PM Cares fund could not have paid for the train...

Haryana: Migrant workers protest, pelt stones at cops

Police said they received information that migrant labourers in the Jouria...

'We welcome firms who want to shut business in China'

'Recently we held a video conference with a host (about 100) of US companies...

Migrant workers clash with cops in Surat; 11 hurt

Appearing impatient to return to their native places, migrant workers pelted...

Cong to bear cost of migrants' rail travel: Sonia

Gandhi noted that lakhs of migrants continue to walk hundreds of kilometres...

States, barring Maha, paying migrants' fare: Sources

A controversy erupted on Monday after several opposition parties demanded...

Railway has subsidised 85% fare for migrants: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party said on Monday the railways has subsidised 85 per...

Thousands of migrants reach home by special trains

The migrants were ferried to their villages in sanitised buses arranged by...

SEE: 18 migrants found crammed inside cement mixer

All of them were sent to a shelter for medical examination and a bus was...

Uttam's Take: Bringing Migrant Indians Home

Uttam Ghosh offers his take on the government's decision to transport migrant...

Migrant dies while cycling to UP from Maharashtra

The man collapsed after peddling for hours and had started his journey from...

'Shramik Special' trains to ferry migrants, students

Each train is likely to carry around 1,000-1,200 passengers, keeping in mind...

Railway passenger services suspended till May 17

However, it will run special trains for migrants and others stranded across...

'Special train' with 1,200 migrants leaves Telangana

Thousands of migrants were stranded in places across the country since the...

REVEALED: Government plans for post May 3 India

Nothing is going to dramatically open up on May 3. There will be too many ifs...

States urge Centre to run special trains for migrants

As the Centre's decision ahead of the end of the 40-day lockdown brought...

No movement of migrants outside govt guidelines: MHA

Asked during a press briefing if special trains and private vehicles will...

Migrants hope CMs help them after travel order

The ministry of home affairs on Wednesday issued a fresh set of guidelines to...

'Better to die before my family than die in Mumbai'

'We don't want to lead this hellish life. Enough is enough.'

Govt allows movement of stranded migrants, tourists

In an order, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said buses shall be used for...

Man held for inciting Mumbai migrant mob gets bail

Vinay Dubey was granted bail on a cash surety of Rs 15,000.On April 14, the...

Students stuck in Kota: Nitish cites guidelines

Participating in a video conference along with chief ministers of other...

Aggressive testing key to fight COVID-19: Manmohan

"There are problems with regard to the inadequacy of testing facilities and...

COVID-19 and the changing Shiv Sena

This was not Sharad Pawar or Prithviraj Chavan speaking.It was Uddhav...

Trump's immigration diktat: What you must know

'There's a lot of confusion. It started because the President's tweet was...

The tragedy of Indian workers abroad

'This country's backwardness is exposed when Indians bribe, coax and cajole...

Run trains for migrants in Maha after lockdown: Ajit

According to an official statement, in a letter to Goyal, Pawar said that the...

Lockdown in India impacted 40mn migrants: World Bank

According to the report, the magnitude of internal migration is about...

Migrant worker's family conducts dummy funeral

Crippled by poverty and the coronavirus lockdown, Sunil's family in...

Trump to temporarily suspend immigration to US

Details of the Trump's executive order were not immediately known.

Meet an IAS officer COVID-19 Warrior

'Villages are much better prepared than towns as far as COVID-19 is concerned.'

Govt allows labourers to work within state

However, there will be no inter-state movement of workers during the...

NGOs step up to play saviour to Chennai's needy

'I am an auto driver, and I am doing my best.'

'With lockdown extended, there is fear among migrants'

'They are all worried about one thing -- what about tomorrow?'

What will happen to Laddu Mahto?

'I'll survive for a month, but worry about what will happen if the lockdown...

'PM sent planes for NRIs, why not trains for workers?'

'The situation is so bad that they are now sleeping on bridges or...

What if migrant labour want 'ghar wapasi'?

'In difficult times as now, the call of the village is all that these...

Lockdown no solution against COVID-19: Rahul

Addressing a press conference via video conference, Gandhi also said the...

Maha scribe held for 'misleading' report gets bail

Rahul Kulkarni, journalist with a Marathi news channel, was arrested by...

Work can wait, family can't, say stranded migrants

Daily wagers are running out of resources, including ration and cash, and the...

What you must know about Mumbai's migrant crisis

'For them life is very difficult since there has been no universalisation of...

Migrants' protest in Mumbai: TV journalist arrested

The accused, Rahul Kulkarni, based in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra, has...

Man held for inciting migrants to protest in Mumbai

He had uploaded a video on social media in which he demanded that the...

I want to go back: Migrants desperate to return home

With the lockdown extended till May 3 to stem the spread of the coronavirus,...

'Homesick' migrants protest in Mumbai, defy lockdown

Though authorities and NGOs have made arrangements for their food, most of...

Why 1,000 migrants gathered in Mumbai today

'They were only chanting one slogan, "Ghar jaana hai (we want to go home)".'

'The government's priorities are all wrong'

'The prime minister did not think that COVID-19 was a serious challenge as...

Help pours in for those hit by lockdown

Amid the crisis has risen an outpouring of empathy from ordinary people...

'Who will feed us for three months?'

Sheela Bhatt drives from New Delhi to Agra and Firozabad to capture the...

How will India's poor cope with this crisis?

'Unless the State is a welfare State, unless the State has more welfare...

'Hunger is a real problem'

'It can lead to mass malnutrition.'

Caught napping over migrants' exodus, BJP fights back

'We had no inkling this would come. Admittedly, we failed to inspire...

Three ways to combat coronavirus

'It is clear that primary care would be extremely critical in providing care...

'It is unlikely most labourers have returned home'

'Make sure you provide enough support (income, nutrition, healthcare, and...

Mamata hits the streets in fight against coronavirus

'At this point of time, West Bengal is doing better than other states in...

Migrants gathering, Tablighi meet are setbacks: Prez

In a video-conference with the Governors, Lieutenant Governors and...

Prime Minister Modi, they don't like you

'And Sir, you are at fault if they don't like you.'You don't boast of your...

No time to waste after the coronavirus lockdown ends

'While the nation's prayers are answered and the virus disappears, there is...

J-K's jobs up to group 4 reserved for domiciles

The government on Wednesday issued a gazette notification announcing a slew...

Can you help these 500 nowhere people?

'It is a ticking time bomb if the authorities don't come forward to help...

Revealed: Politics behind the long walk home

The Centre and state governments bonded and then fell apart during the...

Workers hosed down with chlorine, opposition outraged

After the incident, several migrants, including women and children,...

'Modi should send dal-chawal to the poor'

Sheela Bhatt visits a large urban basti a mere 20-minute drive from the prime...

Panic bigger problem than virus: SC on migrant exodus

The SC sought a status report from the Centre by Tuesday on the measures...

No plan to extend 21-day lockdown: Govt

The 21-day lockdown is aimed at checking the spread of the coronavirus.

Lack of money, food drove migrant workers back home

After covering several kilometres on foot along with their families, the...

Do the poor feature in Modi ki Duniya?

'Wasn't it the PM's duty to reach out to the daily wagers of whom he claims...

Lockdown will lead to catastrophic loss of life: Rahul

'We will be required to take different steps than other large countries who...

Seal borders to stop migrants: Centre to states

States were directed to ensure there is no movement of people across cities...

Jobless, homeless: Migrant workers in time of COVID-19

Hundreds of migrant workers from Delhi, Haryana and even Punjab reached Anand...

Migrant workers are not welcome in their villages

Some villages in Bihar have gone into lockdown, refusing entry of people even...

For migrants, lockdown stress has overtaken Covid fear

'I am jobless and don't have savings to sustain. Better I go home and do...

The coronavirus flight: How Indians helped Indians

Bureaucratic insensitivity gave way to compassion with the state...

The plight of migrant workers across this land

This barefoot pilgrimage home we're seeing all around us, and the way plenty...

Thousands of migrants throng to take buses back home

Officials of the Transport Department, bus drivers and conductors were...

Govt asks states to set up relief camps for migrants

With lakhs of these workers stranded on highways and inter-state bus...

Noida admin orders no rent from migrants for a month

In his order, the DM said it had come to light that in the present situation...

Gadkari asks NHAI chief, toll plazas to feed migrants

The minister expressed hope that toll operators will respond to his call...

Sonia urges govt to help migrants walking to villages

The Congress chief said citizens are making tremendous efforts for a better...

SEE: Exodus of workers chokes Delhi-UP border

At the Ghazipur border, they huddled close together, only some with masks --...

Cops step up vigil to enforce lockdown on Day 3

The 21-day coronavirus lockdown in force since Wednesday has triggered a mass...

'Getting food is a major concern than coronavirus'

'All the hotels and restaurants from where I used to eat have been shut. I...

Are govts bothered about people's suffering?

'You cannot implement such a huge exercise, which is bound to cause misery to...

The good Samaritans during India's lockdown

With a nationwide lockdown in place, it may have become harder than usual for...

PHOTOS: Migrant workers walk for days to reach home

Maharashtra Police found over 300 migrant workers holed up inside two...

Covid-19: Help him help these helpless migrants

Pappu Qureshi, a good samaritan in Mumbai, helps feed more than 50 migrants,...

Lockdown's a nightmare: Workers battle to survive

India has been put in lockdown to halt the spread of the coronavirus...

Workers in Guj begin over 600-km trek home on foot

The labourers said there was no point in staying back in Gujarat without any...