A majority of Indian citizens -- 43 per cent -- believe that both the central and state governments are responsible for the migrant crisis. This is according to the findings of August 2020 round of India Today Mood of the Nation Survey.

FULL RESULTS OF THE INDIA TODAY MOOD OF THE NATION AUGUST 2020

43 per cent of the 12,021 respondents surveyed in the MOTN poll said both the central and state governments were responsible for the mass exodus of migrant workers. Another 14 per cent blamed only the state governments for the migrant crisis, while 10 per cent pointed fingers at the Centre.

However, 13 per cent of the respondents feel it was the fault of employers of the migrant workers and labourers due to which they suffered. Meanwhile, 12 per cent put the blame on rumour and misinformation that the migrants 'fell prey to'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's March 24 announcement stoked panic. Migrant workers everywhere began their long march home.

Migrants were walking thousands of kilometres on foot, with many hitch hiking on trucks or rode bicycles.

The Shramik special trains announced by the government finally came as a relief in May.

On June 6, the Railway Board said that 58 lakh migrant workers stranded across the country were ferried to their native places during the Covid-19 lockdown. The Indian Railways operated 4,286 Shramik special trains till June 6. Following which, the demand for the trains started to decrease. The government said that workers who were found walking on roads were provided with transportation to the nearest railway stations.

METHODOLOGY OF MOTN POLL

The India Today Mood of the Nation (MOTN) poll was conducted by Delhi-based market research agency between July 15, 2020 and July 27, 2020. This poll has traditionally been conducted using face-to-face interviewing method. However, in this edition of the survey, due to the unprecedented situation arising out of Covid-19 pandemic, all interviews were conducted telephonically using a standard structured questionnaire, which was translated into regional languages.

A total of 12,021 interviews were conducted-67 per cent in rural and 33 per cent in urban areas-spread across 97 parliamentary constituencies and 194 assembly constituencies in 19 states-Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. In each of the assembly constituencies, a fixed number of interviews were done.

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Mood of the nation: Majority believe Centre and states responsible for migrant crisis - India Today