Unnao, Jun 21 (IANS): Three migrant workers from Hyderabad, quarantined in a primary school at Narainpur village in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, spent their time in painting and ended up giving a complete makeover to the facility premises.

Their initiative found a mention in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at the launch of the 'Garib Kalyan Rozgar Yojana' on Saturday.

The three workers, Vinod, Arun and Kamlesh, (belonging to nearby villages) worked as painters in Hyderabad and returned to their home state on April 22 amidst the lockdown.

"We were bored with the routine of just eating and sleeping. We asked the village head if we could do some work in the quarantine centre itself. However, he denied permission because making us work would have been a violation of quarantine protocols," the workers said.

After considerable persuasion, the village head Raju Yadav gave them some paint and other raw material and allowed them to paint the school where they had been quarantined.

The three painted the school in vibrant colours and were felicitated by the local people when their quarantine ended. They have already returned to their respective villages.

Talking to IANS, village head Raju Yadav said, "We are very happy at the new look that the school has been given. I am sure that children are waiting to return to their classes when schools reopen. I am also thankful to the three workers for helping Unnao get a positive report. The district has already earned a bad name in recent years for criminal incidents."

Unnao has been in the news for all wrong reasons, including the Unnao rape case in which former BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar has been convicted. Then last year, a rape victim was set ablaze by the rape accused and she died due to burn injuries.