Karnataka govt provides employment to migrant returnees under MGNREGA

Migrant labourers, who returned from Maharashtra's Mumbai to their villages in Karnataka, have been given employment by the local administration, under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Generation Act (MGNREGA) scheme.

Migrants here have returned to their homes in Kalaburagi's Ladchincholi village from Maharashtra amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

These migrants have enrolled themselves for the work after completing the required days of quarantine. Zilla Panchayat has issued temporary job cards and provided work to migrant labourers under the MNREGA scheme.

Labourers requested the government to continue providing them work.

"We have come from Maharashtra and joined the work after completing 14-day quarantine. We are feeling really good to work here. We want more work because of how long a person can sit at home. We do not plan to go back to Maharashtra as we have our families here. We will think about it if the COVID-19 situation gets better. If we continue to get work here then we will stay here or else we will have to go back to Mumbai. I thank the government for giving us work," Amitha, a migrant labourer told ANI.

Other migrant labourers said they were forced to go to Maharashtra for work as they could not find it in Karnataka.

"We were scared of COVID-19 so we had to return to Karnataka from Maharashtra. After coming back we were placed under quarantine for 20 days. We did not have anything to do, no job cards so later job cards were made. Four members from my family are doing the farming work and we earn Rs 275 every day," said Kishan Rathod, another migrant labourer.