The Maharashtra government on Friday decided to allow over one lakh migrant sugarcane workers to return to their native villages.
As per the guidelines signed by Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta, over 1.31 lakh migrant labourers and their families, who work in 38 sugar factories, are unable to go to their native districts due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.
After the implementation of the lockdown these workers have been living in temporary shelters in the sugar mills.
The decision will benefit sugarcane workers from Beed and Ahmednagar who are stranded in western Maharashtra, the border areas with Karnataka and other parts of the state, a statement issued by state Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde said.