UP has sent over 300 buses to Kota to bring back stranded students 
UP has sent over 300 buses to Kota to bring back stranded students Hundreds of buses carrying stranded UP students in Rajasthan's Kota have returned to Jhansi amid the nationwide coronavirus lockdown. The Yogi Adityanath led state government had sent 200 buses from Agra to Kota and another 100 from Jhansi on Friday.
Thousands of students had been stranded in Kota for the past month as they have been studying there for competitive exams before the lockdown was initiated. Kota has reported six coronavirus cases as of yet.
According to NDTV, all returned students from Kota will be screened for coronavirus before they are sent to their homes in UP.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was critical of this move by the Adityanath led government. Nitish said that the rescue operation would defeat the purpose of the lockdown at a time when practising social distancing is crucial for defeating the coronavirus.
"The way special buses are being sent to ferry students from Kota, it is injustice with the principle of the lockdown," Kumar told the news channel on Friday. Kumar also mentioned that this move makes it look like the state governments are 'making excuses" when it comes to rescuing stranded migrant workers.
The Bihar state government wrote to the Home Ministry earlier this week when a group of 300 students from Kota arrived in Patna. They had been given permission by the government to travel in taxis.
Meanwhile, India has reported 11,906 active cases of coronavirus (as of 8 am, April 18), according to the Health Ministry. Total deaths stood at 480. As many as 1991 patients have been cured or discharged and 1 migrated.
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