Provide Ration, Free Meals to Migrant Workers: SC to States, UTs

The SC also directed authorities to open community kitchens to provide cooked food to the workers.

Migrant workers, arriving from various parts of country, walk to their native places, amid COVID-19. Image for representational purposes.

(Photo: PTI)

The Supreme Court on Tuesday, 25 May, directed all states and Union territories to ensure that stranded migrant workers across the country are provided free ration and cooked food as many in the unorganised sector are left unemployed amid the health crisis.

A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and MR Shah stated that dry ration has to be distributed to migrant workers by the states under the Atma Nirbhar Scheme or any other suitable scheme.

For the purpose of providing cooked meals, the apex court directed all the states/Union territories to open community kitchens to provide food to migrant workers all over the country. The bench said, “There shall be wide publicity with respect to the various schemes including the places of community kitchens so that such needy persons may in fact take benefits,” Hindustan Times quoted.

On 29 April, Harsh Mander, Anjali Bhardwaj, and Jagdeep Chokkar filed an intervention before the SC. The intervention sought to provide of dry rations to migrant workers who are not in possession ration cards, free cooked food and cash transfers to compensate for the loss of livelihoods for workers across the country.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan filed the plea in the 2020 suo motu case in view of struggles that presently face migrants across the country.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court has issued a slew of directions to the administrations of Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh (for districts included in the NCR) to provide dry ration, open community kitchens and ensure proper transportation for workers on their way to their home districts.