While many migrant workers have been stranded in different parts of the country due to the continuing lockdown, some are using the opportunity to learn and write.
In a heartening episode that has come to light, teachers of a government school in a remote village of Rajasthan Nagaur district have done something incredible - by educating the stranded migrant workers who were quarantined in the village school.
According to PTI, about 19 migrants from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan's Baran district, quarantined in the Government Senior Higher Secondary School, Dodiyana in Nagaur have benefitted from daily classes during the quarantine and they can now read and write their names and understand counting from 0 to 10.
One of the school teachers told PTI that following imposition of the country-wide lockdown which has now been extended until May 18, the workers had undertaken long march to their homes, but they were stopped by the authorities and quarantined in the school.
"We thought of giving 'akshar gyan' to them during their quarantine. Except a few, all workers learnt to read and write their names and counting from zero to ten and have now become able to at least search, dial and save numbers in their mobile phones," Kumar was quoted saying by PTI.??
This was not the sole case of migrant workers putting their quarantine period to constructive use.
Earlier, a group of 74 migrant workers, stopped midway their long march to their villages in Madhya Pradesh and quarantined in a school building in Kotputli near Japipur mended, plastered and painted the building walls to express their gratitude for being taken good care of during quarantine.
As the government eases restrictions, states are also arranging for special trains to ferry the stranded migrants workers back to their hometowns.