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    Shramik trains helped avert a 'humanitarian crisis': Report

    Synopsis

    “Helping approximately 6.3 million migrant workers get home safely, and expeditiously, was necessary to save India from a huge humanitarian crisis,” said the report published by Milind Sohoni and Vijaya Sunder M, Professors at Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.

    shramik trainAgencies
    The Shramik trains project showcases the organization’s ability to adapt quickly and efficiently in the face of adversity.
    New Delhi: The Indian Railways’ Shramik Special trains that began operating in May this year have helped avert a humanitarian crisis, an independent analysis by Indian School of Business has said.

    The national transporter began operating shramik special trains to transport stranded migrants back to their home states amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

    “Helping approximately 6.3 million migrant workers get home safely, and expeditiously, was necessary to save India from a huge humanitarian crisis,” said the report published by Milind Sohoni and Vijaya Sunder M, Professors at Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.

    “A unique transportation plan needed to be configured, and executed expeditiously, to overcome this one-time demand with exceptional constraints,” it added.

    Between May 1,and June 26, the Indian Railways transported approximately 6.3 million migrants across the country through 4,594 Shramik trains.

    The Shramik trains project showcases the organization’s ability to adapt quickly and efficiently in the face of adversity.

    The paper argued that the Indian Railways had a “unique” challenge of sending migrants back home amid a pandemic that was still unfolding, even though it carries millions of passengers daily to several destinations.These challenges ranged from maintaining operating costs, passenger health safety, arranging meals for the passengers, to estimating demand and scheduling trains accordingly.


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