Skip to main content

SC order: Eight crore migrant, stranded, needy workers get 'much needed' relief

By Our Representative 

Senior civil rights leaders Harsh Mander, Anjali Bhardwaj and Jagdeep Chhokar have welcomed the Supreme Court (SC) order in the suo motu matter regarding the problems and distress being faced by migrant workers, calling it “a positive first step towards providing much needed relief to migrant workers, who are the worst hit by the lockdowns and restrictions imposed by several states to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The SC order directed the Central government and governments of Delhi, UP and Haryana to provide dry rations to migrant workers in National Capital Region under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Scheme or any other scheme with effect from May 2021, insisting, while providing dry ration, the authorities of the states should not insist on an identity card for those migrant labourers who do not possess them for the time being and give ration on the basis of self-declaration made by the stranded migrant labourers.
The order also directed governments of Delhi, UP and Haryana to open community kitchen at well advertised places (in the National Capital Region) for stranded migrant labourers so that they and their family members who are stranded could get two meals a day, even as asking the three governments to ensure adequate transport stranded migrant labourers who want to return to their home. At the same time, it asked the Centre to issue necessary instructions to the Ministry of Railways to take necessary and adequate measures to cater to the need of migrant labourers.
At the same time, the order asked NCT of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Orissa to file specific responses with regard to earlier directions on ensuring registration of migrant workers under various laws, and provision of schemes for their food security, health insurance etc.
The order follows an intervention filed in the SC on April 29 highlighting that the second wave of Covid-19 and the consequent lockdowns imposed by several states were once again disrupting the lives and livelihoods of migrant workers resulting in food insecurity and inability to afford even basic needs including rent and medical expenses.
The intervention highlighted that the situation was even worse than last year as economically vulnerable people, especially migrant workers, had exhausted their meagre savings to cope with the crisis in 2020.
Petition sought putting in place effective grievance redress mechanisms, including helplines for distressed migrant workers
The intervention sought the provision of dry rations for migrant workers who do not possess ration cards through Atma Nirbhar Bharat scheme, or any other scheme, to all eight crore migrant labourers/ stranded or needy persons who were identified under the scheme last year and to all workers registered under the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act.
Further, it sought provision of free cooked food through networks of community kitchens, hunger relief and feeding centres at places where distressed migrant workers are congregating such as industrial areas, homeless shelters, bus stations, train stations and other areas to ensure no one remains hungry.
To compensate for the loss of livelihood, the intervention, represented by senior advocates Prashant Bhushan and Cheryl D’souza, prayed for cash transfers equivalent to the notified minimum wage of different states to all migrant workers for the period that economic activity is adversely impacted by lockdowns and also provision of affordable transport facility to those desirous of returning to their hometown.
Finally, the petition sought putting in place effective grievance redress mechanisms, including helplines for distressed migrant workers and for the state governments and central government to make public details of all social and food security schemes put in place for providing relief to migrant workers.

Comments

TRENDING

Importance of Bangladesh for India amidst 'growing might' of China in South Asia

By Samara Ashrat*  The basic key factor behind the geopolitical importance of Bangladesh is its geographical location. The country shares land borders with Myanmar and India. Due to its geographical position, Bangladesh is a natural link between South Asia and Southeast Asia.  The country is also a vital geopolitical ally to India, in that it has the potential to facilitate greater integration between Northeast India and Mainland India. Not only that, due to its open access to the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh has become significant to both China and the US.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

'A disaster in the making': Expansion of oil palm plantations in Northeast India

By Rupa Chinai, Ravi Chellam*  Until a few decades ago, India was nearly 100% self-sufficient in edible oils, with a diverse variety of oilseeds that were grown and consumed sustainably in keeping with the ecological and climatic conditions of different regions in the country. Today, India is highly reliant on palm oil imports to meet its vegetable oil demands. 

'BBC film shows only tip of iceberg': Sanjiv Bhatt's daughter speaks at top US press club

By Our Representative   The United States' premier journalists' organisation, the National Press Club (NPC), has come down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recent "attacks on journalists in India." Speaking at the screening of an episode of the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question,” banned in India, in the club premises, NPC President Eileen O’Reilly said, “Since Modi came to power we have watched with frustration and disappointment as his regime has suppressed the rights of its citizens to a free and independent news media."

Chinese pressure? Left stateless, Rohingya crisis result of Myanmar citizenship law

By Dr Shakuntala Bhabani*  A 22-member team of Myanmar immigration officials visited Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar to verify more than 400 Rohingya refugees as part of a pilot repatriation project. Does it hold out any hope for the forcibly displaced people to return to their ancestral homes in the Rakhine state of Myanmar? Only time will tell.

China ties up with India, Bangladesh to repatriate Rohingyas; Myanmar unwilling

By Harunur Rasid*  We now have a new hope, thanks to news reports that were published in the Bangladeshi dailies recently. Myanmar has suddenly taken initiatives to repatriate Rohingyas. As part of this initiative, diplomats from eight countries posted in Yangon were flown to Rakhine last week. Among them were diplomats from Bangladesh, India and China.

40,000 Odisha adolescent girls ask CM: Why is scheme to fight malnutrition on paper?

By Our Representative  In unique a postcard campaign to combat malnutrition, aimed at providing dietary diversity, considered crucial during adolescence, especially among girls, signed by about 40,000 adolescent girls from over 10,000 villages, have reminded Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik that his government's Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG), which converged with Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman  ( POSHAN ) 2.0 in 2021, is not being implemented in the State.

Natural farming: Hamirpur leads the way to 'huge improvement' in nutrition, livelihood

By Bharat Dogra*  Santosh is a dedicated farmer who along with his wife Chunni Devi worked very hard in recent months to convert a small patch of unproductive land into a lush green, multi-layer vegetable garden. This has ensured year-round supply of organically grown vegetables to his family as well as fetched several thousand rupees in cash sales.