Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved an ex gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the 15 migrant labourers who were crushed to death by a goods train in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad on May 8.

‘Prime Minister has sanctioned ex-gratia out of Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) at Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the persons deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the persons who got seriously injured in the train accident in Aurangabad District, Maharashtra,’ the PM office said.

The Indian Railways has also been asked to submit details of the total required fund, along with the names of the deceased and those severely injured with their postal addresses.

People who suffered minor/simple injury are not eligible for ex gratia amount.

As many as 15 migrant workers died after they were run over by a cargo train in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad on May 8 while they were sleeping on the tracks, the railways said.

These 15 migrants were in a group of 20, and were walking from Jalna to Bhusaval, 157 km apart.

In a bid to reach back home at a time when the government has imposed a nationwide lockdown, several migrant workers decided to walk thousands of kilometres to reach their native states. Several videos have surfaced online pointing towards the plight of the migrant workers forced to take thousand kilometres journey on foot without access to food and water.

In a recent incident, at least 12 migrant workers who were walking back to their home towns have been killed in accidents in three separate incidents in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Bihar since the last Saturday.

The government has not announced any ex-gratia amount for those who lost their lives due to road accidents or lack of basic resources at a time when restrictions have been imposed on transport facilities, compelling the workers to go on foot.

Also Read: At Least 12 Migrant Labourers Killed In Accident In Last Four Days In UP, Haryana, Bihar