Battles flared among states on how to deal with the migrant crisis. Those with large number of migrant workers sought to retain them to help restart factories, while source states of these workers demanded the Centre facilitate their return and offer a generous package to rehabilitate them.
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, the worst affected by the reverse migration, have seen a steady return of workers, some of them walking hundreds of miles in the absence of transport options during the lockdown.
The running of special trains since last week to help migrants return to their home states has only increased the flow. Karnataka and Punjab, on the other hand, are facing an acute labour crunch as many workers in farms and factories have