COVID19- Draw Out A Definite Plan To Rehabilitate Migrated Workers: Madhya Pradesh High Court Directs State Govt.

The Bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Yadav and Vijay Kumar Shukla was hearing the plea filed by Social organisation Bandhua Mukti Morcha concerning the difficulties faced by the labourers, who migrated from other states to MP during pandemic.

The organisation sought a direction to the MP Government to grant relief to these labourers, who returned to MP after being rendered jobless during pandemic COVID-19 outbreak.

In the reply filed by the State, it was submitted that about 740440 migrant labourers got registered during the pandemic and the Government has given employment to 44634 labourers.

However, the Court was not satisfied by the chart produced by the State and its functionaries.

Instead, the Court said that they are required to draw out a definite plan to rehabilitate these migrated labours so that they can earn their livelihood in their parent State.

The Court directed the State to draw out a definite plan by next date along with status report qua other facilities which are being extended to the migrated labourers who have been identified for extending the benefit under respective schemes.

The matter has been listed for further hearing in the week commencing 18.01.2021.

Earlier in a momentous step, the Supreme Court (a Bench comprising of Justice Ashok Bhushan, S K Kaul and M R Shah) on 26^th May took Suo Motu cognisance of the problems and miseries of migrant labourers who have been stranded in different parts of the country amid the Coronavirus-induced lockdown.

Further, on 9^th June the Supreme Court had passed a slew of directions and had asked all the States and UTs to identify stranded migrants and transport them back to native places

On 12^th May, the Gujarat High Court (a division bench comprising Justices J. B. Pardiwala and Ilesh J. Vora) had taken suo moto notice of the various news reports about the sufferings of migrant workers, daily wage earners and the poor people during the lockdown.

It may be noted that considering the plight of migrant labourers who are without food, the Madras High Court in July 2020 had directed the State Government to provide ration supplies to migrant labourers, after satisfying that they are really migrant labourers, irrespective of whether they have ration cards or not.

Significantly, the Central Government in September 2020 said in the Lok Sabha that it does not have any data on the number of migrants who died amid the Covid induced Lockdown.