The Union home ministry has asked state governments and Union Territories to make adequate arrangements for migrant workers and students from outside the states to facilitate social distancing during the lockdown.

In an advisory, which comes three days after a countrywide lockdown was announced by the Prime Minister, the Union home secretary has asked the states and Union Territories to take immediate steps to provide adequate support, including food and shelter, to migrant agriculture labourers, industrial workers and other unorganised sector workers during the 21-day nationwide lockdown.

Left without work after the lockdown and with no money for food, migrant labourers have been streaming out of Delhi over the past two days. With no transport available, hundreds are walking hundreds of kilometres down empty highways, depending on the kindness of residents along the way for food and water.

The advisory also asks states and the Union Territories to take steps to ensure that students and working women from other states are allowed to continue in their existing accommodation.

The advisory suggests that in order to mitigate the situation for the unorganised sector workers, particularly stranded migrant workers, the states and Union Territories need to explore measures by involving various agencies, including NGOs, to provide food and shelter with basic amenities like clean drinking water and sanitation.

Further, they have been advised to make these vulnerable groups aware of the measures taken by the government, including provision of free food grains and other essential items through the PDS and streamline the distribution system.

This will help prevent avoidable movement of such people, according to the advisory.

The MHA has advised the states and the Union Territories to ensure that hotels, rented accommodation and hostels continue to remain functional and delivery of essential items is streamlined.

While ensuring supply of essential goods and services, the states and Union Territories are being repeatedly directed to enforce the lockdown strictly.This is imperative to contain the spread of Covid-19, the advisory said.