The country is currently observing nationwide coronavirus lockdown and it has led to difficulties for a section of the country, particularly those in the lower portion of the economic strata.
In a recent, a group of four students were reported to have embarked upon a 500 km foot-journey from Bareilly to Varanasi.
As per the media reports, they had completed nearly 250 km of the journey by walking and hitchhiking. They were confirmed have reached Lucknow – the state capital – which marks the completion of half of their journey. The students belong to economically weaker families in Varanasi and were staying as paid guests at accommodation in Bareilly.
In Bareilly, they were enrolled at the Rohilkhand University. Since the announcement of lockdown, the varsity suspended its classes.
While the students continued their stay in the town during the first phase of lockdown, they decided to return home after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the restrictions till May 3.
Golu Mishra, one of the students, told a leading media portal that they were on the verge of exhausting all the money they had. Cash-crunched, the students feared of starving in the next few days. They then decided to move back towards their villages by embarking upon a foot-journey.
This came to light a couple of days after a 12-year-old girl died en route her village in Chhattisgarh after walking for 150 km.
COVID-19 lockdown: 12-year-old girl dies after travelling 150 km on foot to her home
