Madhurima
NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Tuesday, June 9 passed on some orders to Union Territories and state governments to provide benefits for migrant workers that have returned to the states they belong to. They also directed the government to submit schemes to generate employment opportunities for the migrants and also to withdraw the cases that state they broke lockdown orders.
The bench which comprised of Justices like Ashok Bhushan, M R Shah and Sanjay Kishan Kaul stated that employment generation for the workers should be taken care of by the native state, apart from helping the workers with their journeys back there, if they are interested. It was also ordered by the court to take back the complaints against the migrants who set off on foot. The bench mentioned that the cases which got registered against the workers for breaking the lockdown orders and are under the Disaster Management Act 2005 should be dropped.
Also Read: With 88,528 COVID-19 Cases, Maharashtra Inches Closer To 90,000 Mark
The court appealed to the states and Union Territories to send their responses by July 8. The Justices also mentioned that the authorities responsible should plan out the employment relief being provided to the migrant workers and a concise process should be opted by the Centre and the states to identify migrant labourers.
Also Read: Coronavirus: Total Tally Of India Jumps To 2.66 Lakh; 9,987 Cases In 24 Hrs
The ruling from the SC came as the issues and struggles of the migrant labourers increased as the nationwide lockdown got initiated to control the spread of the coronavirus. It was also directed by the bench to establish counselling centres to provide information regarding jobs and schemes for benefits.
