There have been severe loopholes in the governance at the centre as well as the states level wrt to the migrant crisis. Discuss. What should have been the government's strategy to manage this?
The Centre and several States have been engaged in flip-flops on facilitating the return of migrant workers to their homes.
In the present instance, the workers at a company in Maharashtra were walking on the track to their families in Madhya Pradesh and were crushed under the train wheels.
The Centre’s inability to clearly communicate to the public and States the purpose and protocol of the lockdown every step of the way has put people through completely avoidable hardship.
This governance failure was aggravated by several States, either due to lack of capacity or incompetence.
The sight of an endless stream of migrant labourers, some of them carrying toddlers and the infirm, walking towards India’s poorer regions from its economic centres, shows the government's insensitive approach.
All of this could have been managed better had the Centre worked with States to map out a strategy to support those who wanted to stay where they were, and organised the return of those who chose to do so in an orderly manner.
A huge cost has already been paid in lives and suffering, but even now there can be measures to mitigate the situation.
For that, it must have a more open and honest communication with State governments, and citizens.
Tough measures may be essential but caring ones are just as vital.
