As the exodus of migrant workers from several major cities in India to their villages and towns continues, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said his government would pay their rent if they are unable to support themselves.
Urging the migrants to stay wherever they are in order to arrest the halt of the pandemic, Kejriwal appealed to landlords to not force their tenants to pay rent. "If tenants are unable to pay their rent for one-two months, the government will pay on their behalf," he said, adding an investigation will be carried out against erring landlords.
Kejriwal warned if the lockdown is not followed, the country will fail to contain the coronavirus outbreak, assuring migrant workers his government has made food and boarding arrangements for them.
Addressing a digital press conference, Kejriwal said the mantra to make the 21-day nationwide lockdown successful was to "stay where you are" just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested.
"A large number of people are returning from cities they work in to their villages due to the coronavirus lockdown. I appeal to them, please stay wherever you are," he said. "We have seen what has happened in some of the developed countries like the US and Italy. Thankfully, India is not in that stage yet. But going into a crowd will invite risks of infection."
The Delhi government has made arrangements in schools for lodging purposes, he said.
"We have emptied the stadiums and made arrangements for people to stay there too if the need arises. We are giving free food to 4 lakh people daily. Let's fight this together," he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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