A Look Into What Assam Did To Mitigate Any Harsh Impact Of The National Lockdown 

There are two types of States in India.

The first type includes the States which see the outflow of huge number of workers who seek work elsewhere.

Another type of States includes those where people migrate to, to seek work.

Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh are the States which face large influx of migrant labourers and workers from States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam.

Migrant labourers and workers contribute not just to the GDP of the State they are working in but to their families and parent State also.

But unprecedented situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown pose unprecedented problems for such workers.

Some State governments have come up with some novel solutions to take care of their people.

Assam is one of such State.

The Public Distribution System falls under ‘essential services’ that are operational during the lockdown. But to avail the services labourers need money.

The Union Finance Minister announced the 'Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana'. Under this, women Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Account Holders were given financial assistance of Rs. 500 among other facilities.

Over and above this, the Assam State government transferred Rs. 2000 to those workers belonging to Assam who were stuck in other parts of the country. The Rs 2000 transfer was a first instalment.

The second instalment will be paid before the lockdown is lifted. The amount for the second instalment is to be decided later.

To do this, the government asked the workers stranded outside the State to fill up online forms.

On its part, the government processed close to 4,29,851 calls of people within three days of rolling out its scheme.

After scrutinising the provided information, 99,758 people were identified in the first phase.

This unique initiative has not just enabled the State government to provide the necessary financial assistance to labourers but also enabled it to create a database of workers and labourers from Assam employed in other States.

According to the information the State government has gathered during the implementation of this scheme, the largest number i.e. 68,000 workers from Assam are employed in Karnataka, followed by Kerala- 34,000, Tamil Nadu- 33,000, Maharashtra-22,778 and Telangana-16,000.

When the lockdown is lifted, the State will be able to track them easily and can better arrange for their safe return to the state and their native places.

The Assam State government has also provided financial assistance to people stranded abroad due to the suspension of international flights.

People who went abroad 30 days before the suspension of international flights on 22 March, who were unable to return their homes will receive one-time financial assistance of $2000.

According to the information gathered, 34 Assamese stranded abroad were paid $1000 as the first instalment. Another instalment was paid on 25th April.

The state government has also paid Rs. 25,000 each to families of 647 people from Assam, who are suffering from different ailments and undergoing treatment outside the State.

Kota in Rajasthan is one of the prominent places for the preparation of competitive exams. Students from all over India go to Kota for the preparations. Due to the lockdown, students from Assam were also stranded in Kota. Parents of those students requested the State government to arrange for their return to the State.

Accordingly, the state government formed a special team of officers including police officers. The Chief Minister of Rajasthan was contacted accordingly and proper communication was established.

On 23 April, a team of officers was sent to Rajasthan by special charter flight to quicken the procedure. Travel and other arrangements were done by the team of officers.

18 sleeper coach buses were arranged for more than 350 students who were accompanied by police officers for smooth passage through various states.

Here, the state government has arranged the travel and other facilities for the students but the parents of these students were asked to pay for the travel.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a notification allowing some relaxations from lockdown measures in specified zones.

According to the provisions in the MHA notification, the Assam state government has declared a three-day relaxation period for inter-district movement with certain restrictions.

As State Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma specified, it is not a blanket permission to all. The move is designed and being implemented to help those who are stranded and want to return home or want to visit hospitals for treatments.

The State government has come up with unique systems to carry out this exercise. The Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) will run several buses on specific routes.

For using this service, people are asked to dial #104.

ASTC issues passes for those who seek to use the passage window with details of name, seat no. , origin, destination, and time-date of journey through SMS.

This facility is available to those who do not have their vehicles. People with their vehicles can apply for an e-Pass with the respective Deputy Commissioners for one-way-journey.

Around 50,000 people are expected to commute by their vehicles. Migrant labourers are allowed to travel, return to their places. Maximum 25 migrant workers in one truck or bus are allowed.

At the time of writing, there were less than 10 active cases in Assam. Clearly, all things considered, Assam seems one state which has managed to contain the spread of Covid-19 and also proactively prevent any harsh consequences of the lockdown.