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Railways bearing 85 pct of fares, states covering rest, clarifies Centre on row over migrants' homecomingÂ
New Delhi/IBNS: Amid a row over the ticket prices of special trains ferrying the migrants back home from different cities, the Centre on Monday clarified that 85 per cent of the ticket fares are borne by the Indian Railways and the remaining 15 per cent has to be paid by the state.
On a day Congress chief Sonia Gandhi said her party would pay for the tickets, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra took to Twitter to respond and hit back at Rahul Gandhi's attack over the issue.
In the tweet, he wrote: "Rahul Gandhi ji, I have attached guidelines of MHA which clearly states that 'No tickets to be sold at any station'. Railways has subsidised 85% & state govt to pay 15%. The state govt can pay for the tickets (Madhya Pradesh's BJP govt is paying). Ask Cong state govts to follow suit."
And this is how the Congress ruled State Governments can pay the 15% for the Migrant workers (85% being taken care of by the Railways) rather than politicising the otherwise smooth process taken up by the railways. https://t.co/Axtmen5nY9 pic.twitter.com/RNQdcfNBvB
— Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) May 4, 2020
This came after Gandhi attacked the railways for allegedly charging poor migrant labourers ticket fare, even as it donated over Rs 151 crore to the PM-CARES Fund.
Earlier, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal told reporters that "We have given the permission to run special trains on states' request. We are dividing the cost in 85-15 per cent (railway: states) as per the norms. We never asked states to charge money from the stranded labourers."
Congress president Sonia Gandhi earlier in the day announced that her party would pay the fare for all migrants and needy workers travelling home by these trains.
In her statement, she referred to the "Rs. 100 crores" spent on an event in Gujarat during US President Donald Trump's visit to India this year and Rs 151 crore contributed by the railways to the PM-Cares fund.
"What is particularly disturbing is that the Central government and the Rail MInistry are charging them for train tickets in this hour of crisis," she said.
"When our Government can recognise its responsibility by arranging free air travel for our citizens stranded abroad, when the government can spend nearly Rs. 100 crores on transport and food etc. for just one public programme in Gujarat, when the Rail Ministry has the largesse to donate Rs. 151 Crores to the PM's Corona fund, then why can't these essential members of our nation's fabric be given a fraction of the same courtesy, especially free rail travel, at this hour of acute distress," she said.
While the Centre last week extended the lockdown for another two weeks, the Indian Railways is operating special trains since Friday for migrants to travel to their home states.
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