Amitabh Bachchan books 3 flights for 500 migrant workers to return home

Bollywood celebrities have been pitching in to help migrant workers return home. After Sonu Sood's stellar effort to help workers go back to their home towns, it has now emerged that actor Amitabh Bachchan has arranged three flights so that about 500 workers could go home to Varanasi. The actor had earlier sent back workers to various places in Uttar Pradesh via road.

A Mid Day report quoted a source as saying, "Everything is being done with utmost discretion as Bachchanji doesn't want it to be publicised. He was moved by the plight of the migrant workers and decided to help them. He has chartered the Indigo Airlines' Varanasi-bound flight that is scheduled to depart on Wednesday morning. The 180 migrants scheduled to travel on the morning flight have been asked to report to the airport at 6 am. The initial plan was to send them home by train, but the logistics didn't work out."

The report added that the entire arrangement is being supervised by a close aide of the actor. It added that Amitabh is also arranging for a few more flights to ensure migrants reach their hometowns in West Bengal, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and a few other states.

A week ago, Amitabh had also arranged for 10 buses to help migrants reach their native places in Uttar Pradesh - the state that the actor hails from. As per celebrity photographer Viral Bhayani, buses departed from Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai, on May 29.

Earlier, Amitabh supported the families of 1,00,000 daily wage workers belonging to the All India Film Employees Confederation by sponsoring their monthly ration. Amitabh was also a part of the I for India online fundraising concert organised by filmmakers Karan Johar and Zoya Akhtar. For his segment, the actor gave a heartfelt tribute to his co-star and close friend, the late Rishi Kapoor. I for India managed to raise a total of Rs 52 crore, which were given to GiveIndia for coronavirus relief efforts.