Bengaluru, May 1: The Karnataka government has appealed migrant workers in the state to stay back, claiming that the economic activities are expected to resume soon. The government has reached out to the private sector employers, requesting them to disburse the salaries despite the shutdown, said a statement issued by the Office of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. First Train Ran Amid Lockdown Today From Telangana's Lingampalli to Jharkhand's Hatia to Bring Back Migrants; Watch Video.

The economic activities are likely to begin in the state in next few days, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) added. The statement comes as a ray of hope for the migrant workers left cash-starved due to the lockdown which is underway for the past 37 days.

"Karnataka government intends to resume economic activities soon and has held meeting with representatives of associations of commerce and industries in this regard. Government has appealed to the employers to protect the interest of their workers and pay salaries," the CMO said.

"Therefore, it is a sincere request to all the migrant workers to stay back in Karnataka and cooperate with us to resume the economic activities once we receive directions from Union government," it further added.

The CMO statement comes in the backdrop of guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), asking states to implement a roadmap for the return of migrants to their native states. The Centre's guidelines were preceded by protests in several parts of the country by migrants -- who are facing food shortages after being dried of their monetary savings.

While Karnataka has appealed migrants to stay back, neighbouring Telangana became the first state on Friday to ply a special train to ferry back migrant workers to Jharkhand's Hatia. Kerala, as per reports, is also likely to run a train from Kochi this evening that will send back Odisha migrants to Bhubaneswar.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2020 02:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).