Covid-19 aid: HC asks state to modify BPL rider

The High Court of Karnataka on Friday said the state government may consider modifying the condition that mandates producing below poverty line (BPL) card to avail Rs 2,000 Covid-19 assistance.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka made this observation while hearing an Interlocutory Application (IA) in the PIL relating to issues concerning domestic workers.

The government advocate told the court that in terms of Government Order dated May 28, 2021, the benefit is restricted to unorganised workers from BPL families. The applicant contended that there may be several domestic workers who may not have BPL cards.

The bench said that the domestic workers perhaps suffered the most because of the first and second wave of the pandemic. The court said though some workers do not come under the BPL, they may have been thrown into the category of BPL. The court pointed out the principles laid out by the apex court in the case of Reepak Kansal on June 30, 2021.

"It will be appropriate if the state government considers modification of condition number 8 in the aforesaid Government Order dated 28 May 2021," the court said and posted the matter to August 6. The court is hearing the IA filed by petitioners - Domestic Workers Rights Union.