3,060 Shramik Special trains operationalised from various states so far, says Railways

Rail Ministry on Monday stated that, till May 25, 3060 Shramik Special trains have been operationalised across the country. The Ministry further stated that more than 40 lakh passengers were transported by the Shramik special trains.

READ: Rail Ministry Hits A Milestone; 500 Shramik Trains Originated From Mumbai Central Division

Railways gives a break-up

A statement by the Ministry read, "Out of 3060 Shramik Special Trains, 2608 trains have been terminated, 453 trains are on run. On 24.05.2020, 237 Shramik Specials were run, moving 3.1 lakh passengers."

According to the statement the top five states/UTs from where maximum trains originated are Gujarat (853), Maharashtra (550), Punjab (333), Uttar Pradesh (221), and Delhi (181). The Ministry further said that the "top five states where maximum trains terminated were Uttar Pradesh (1245), Bihar (846), Jharkhand (123), Madhya Pradesh(112), Odisha (73)".

READ: Railways Operated 3,000 Shramik Special Trains To Ferry Migrants, Says Piyush Goyal

Earlier on Monday, Piyush Goyal said that Indian Railways has successfully operated over 3,000 Shramik Special trains to ferry migrant labourers, stranded in several parts of the country, to their home states. "I am very happy to say that the Railways has successfully operated more than 3,000 Shramik special trains and transported migrant workers from different parts of the country to their home states," Goyal tweeted in Hindi.

READ: Congress Wades Into Shramik Special Trains Row, Urges Piyush Goyal To Show 'patience'

The Shramik Specials had been operationalised following a directive by the Ministry of Home Affairs that allowed interstate movement of migrants, pilgrims, vacationers, college students and different individuals stranded in different states amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown. 85 per cent of the travel expense is borne by the Centre while 15 per cent is shelled by the states as rent. States had reimbursed the expenses of travelling of people in some instances.

The Centre has issued a new order empowering the Ministry of Railways and Home Ministry to decide on the movement of Shramik trains. According to the revised Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the consent of receiving states is no longer necessary. This move was reportedly necessitated after several states blamed each other for not accepting Shramik train requests. 

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