SC asks govt to frame policy for providing ration to migrant labourers

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre and States to frame a policy for providing ration to migrant labourers.

Coming down heavily on the Centre and states while hearing batch of petitions on the welfare of migrant labourers in the country, the Supreme Court on Thursday said in a welfare country, no citizen should die of hunger and the matter was of utmost concern.

A bench headed by Justice MR Shah said, "If the needy cannot reach the well, the well has to go to the needy and thirsty people."

Urging the Central and state governments to frame a food security scheme for poor people including migrant labourers in the country, Justice Shah said, "In a welfare society, in our country, two persons are most important, farmers and migrant labourers. Migrants play an important role in building the nation. They cannot be ignored at all."

"In villages they tie their stomach tightly with clothes, drink water and sleep. They tie it so tightly to kill hunger," the bench remarked.

The court also said that there was a need to register migrant and unorganised workers on a portal to make them avail beneficial schemes.

Justice Nagarathna added, "No citizen should die of hunger and it was most concerning that there were deaths due to hunger."

The Supreme Court, in June 2021, while dealing with the problems of migrant workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, har passed directions to all state and central governments to provide food security to them and also create a database for workers in the unorganised sector.