Plea filed in SC for ration, transport, cash transfer for migrant workers affected by Covid-19

A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court to provide dry rations to all eight crore migrant labourers or needy persons in view of hardships faced by them due to restrictions imposed to curb the second wave of Covid-19.

The application filed by advocate Prashant Bhushan on behalf of activists Anjali Bhardwaj, Harsh Mander and Jagdeep Chhokar contended that the problems and miseries faced by migrant workers during the lockdown in 2020 have persisted over the past year due to the continued economic distress. It has now got aggravated following new restrictions and curfews or lockdowns.

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The plea said the Union government should resume its scheme of providing dry rations under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat scheme, or any other scheme for those not covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) or State PDS cards, for at least such time that the Disaster Management Act was in force by issuance of Covid ration cards.

It also sought a direction to the central and the state governments to provide free cooked food through networks of community kitchens especially at places where distressed migrant workers congregated such as industrial areas, homeless shelters, bus stations, train stations and other areas to ensure no one remained hungry.

The application filed in Suo Motu matter registered by the top court as "In Re: Problems and Miseries of Migrant Labourers" in 2020, pleaded for cash transfers equivalent to the notified minimum wage of different states to all migrant workers, besides travel by buses and trains at nominal fare.

"It must be ensured that details of all welfare schemes put in place to benefit migrant workers are proactively disclosed by the concerned authorities," it said.