Delhi Government to Pay House Rent of Migrant Labourers During Coronavirus Lockdown, Arvind Kejriwal Urges Workers to 'Stay Wherever They Are'

New Delhi, March 29: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday appealed to landlords in the national capital not to force tenants, especially migrant labourers to pay rent during the 21-day coronavirus lockdown. Arvind Kejriwal said that his government would pay rent for those who are unable to afford it. The Delhi CM also urged business owners, industrialists and labour contractors to ensure that no worker should remain hungry. Walking from Delhi to Madhya Pradesh Amid Lockdown, 39-Year-Old Man Dies in Agra.

He appealed to migrant labourers not to go back to their respective hometowns during the lockdown and urged them to stay wherever they are to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Migrant labourers are the worst affected due to the countrywide lockdown as they lost their source of income. They left with no other option but to walk hundreds of kilometres to reach their hometown.

Arvind Kejriwal's Press Briefing:

देश भर में लोग शहरों से गाँवों की ओर पलायन कर रहे हैं। ये बेहद ख़तरनाक है। इस से तो करोना बड़ी तेज़ी से पूरे देश में फैल जाएगा। प्रधान मंत्री जी ने कहा - जो जहां है, वहीं रहे। अगर हमें करोना रोकना है तो इसे सख़्ती के साथ लागू करना होगा। https://t.co/gOxuWMJnNt

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 29, 2020

Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said, “When Prime Minister Modi announced the #CoronaLockdown he said, 'stay wherever you are'. I think it is the mantra of this lockdown, if we don't follow this the lockdown will not be successful and the country will fail in the fight against this virus.” Lockdown-Hit Migrant Labourers, in Large Numbers, Gather at Delhi's Anand Vihar Bus Terminal (Watch Video).

Kejriwal said that the Delhi government was providing lunch and dinner to more than four lakh people every day. He added, “We are putting in all the efforts to make sure that everyone gets food in the national capital. There is no dearth of food and water.”

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also said that house rent should not be demanded from the labourers during the lockdown. The ministry warned of strict action against those for asking labourers or students to vacate their houses.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 29, 2020 07:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).