The South Gujarat Textile Processing Association has decided to give Rs 1,000 to each migrant worker as travel fare to go back home. The decision was taken on Thursday afternoon at a meeting of industry leaders presided over by SGTPA president Jitubhai Vakhariya. All the 350 dyeing and printing mills in Surat are closed due to lockdown. Over 6 lakh workers employed in the mills are from UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and other states. It has been decided that the factories will not open before July. “We know that the industry will not be able to start business anytime soon. So, we have decided to pay the labourers Rs 1,000 for their train fare along with snacks and water bottles. We are co-ordinating with the Pandesara police for the purpose. We have identified all the workers who need help. The money will be adjusted with their salaries after mills start functioning,” Vakhariya said. “The workers who want to stay back in Surat will be provided with ration kits that will last them for around 15 days.”
