SC asks Centre to provide adequate food and rations to migrants

The apex court has directed the government to set up a national database for unorganised and migrant workers by July

Supreme Court of India: File picture

Legal Correspondent   |   TT  |  New Delhi   |   30.06.21 :  The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Centre to set up a national database for unorganised and migrant workers by July and also ensure that they receive adequate food and rations.

A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and M.R. Shah passed the following directions while disposing of a batch of applications filed by the NGO Bandhua Mukti Morcha and others seeking relief for unorganised sector workers and migrant labourers:

⚫ The Centre and the states must develop the National Database for Unorganised Workers portal in consultation with the National Informatics Centre for the registration of unorganised labourers and migrant workers at the earliest but not later than July 31.

⚫ All states, Union Territories, licence holders and contractors must cooperate with the Centre to complete the registration so that the benefits of the welfare schemes are available to migrant workers and unorganised labourers.

⚫ The ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution has to allocate and distribute food grains according to the demand from the states for additional dry rations for disbursement among migrant labourers.

⚫ The states must put in place by July 31 a scheme for the distribution of dry rations among migrant labourers and are free to ask for additional grains from the Centre. The scheme may be continued till the pandemic persists.

⚫ The states that have not yet implemented the one nation, one ration card scheme have been directed to do so by July 31. The Centre pointed out that Bengal, Delhi, Assam and Chhattisgarh have not put in place the scheme, which makes free rations available at the place of work.

⚫ The Centre may undertake an exercise under Section 9 of the National Food Security Act, 2013, to re-determine the total number of people to be covered under the rural and urban areas, respectively.

⚫ All states and Union Territories have to register all establishments and grant licences to all labour contractors under the law and ensure that the contractors fulfil their statutory duty of submitting the particulars of migrant workers hired by them.

⚫ The states and Union Territories have been directed to run community kitchens at places where there are a large number of migrant labourers, who do not have sufficient means to procure two meals a day. The kitchens must be run as long as the pandemic continues.

The top court referred to the worldwide awareness of the right to food and said the fundamental right to life under Article 21 may include this right as well.

“There has been worldwide awareness regarding right to food to human beings. Our country is no exception. Lately, all governments have been taking steps… to ensure that no human being should be affected by hunger and no one dies of hunger. The basic concept of food security globally is to ensure that all people, at all times, should get access to the basic food for their active and healthy life,” the court said.