The Congress has attacked the central government for making false claims on fares of Shramik special trains that are ferrying stranded migrant workers across the country.
As per the claim, the Railway Ministry was bearing 85 per cent of the travel cost and states the rest 15 per cent, but as per the central government's submission in the Supreme Court it was not paying anything, said Congress senior spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
"In a statement to the court on behalf of the central government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said fare for the Shramik special trains is either given by the originating state or the receiving one," Singhvi said.
Singhvi said it was evident now that the Narendra Modi government had not spent a single penny on the travel of migrant workers.
Citing media reports, he said, of the 3,740 Shramik trains since May 1, about 40 per cent were late. The average delay worked out to eight hours, he said and added, 421 trains were delayed for 10 hours or more.
Around 10 per cent (373) Shramik specials were 10-24 hours late. One train from Goa to Manipur took five days (119 hours) to reach its destination, he added.
( With inputs from IANS )