National desk
2 September
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
The Supreme Court has directed the central government to file an affidavit detailing the actions taken regarding its 2021 decision on the welfare of migrant workers. This includes compliance with guidelines related to providing ration cards and other essential facilities to migrant workers. The government has been given three weeks to submit this affidavit.
The court’s directive comes from a judgment and subsequent orders issued on June 29, 2021, where authorities were instructed to register migrant workers on the ‘e-Shram’ portal and address the challenges they faced during the Covid-19 pandemic. These measures also included providing ration cards and other welfare support to the workers.
A bench comprising Justice CT Ravi Kumar and Justice Sanjay Karel emphasized the need for the central government to explain the steps taken in response to the court’s earlier orders. The case has been scheduled for further hearing in three weeks.
During the hearing, a heated debate occurred between lawyer Prashant Bhushan and Justice Karel over whether the case could be closed since the pandemic is over. However, the court has decided to continue monitoring the matter until it receives the required affidavit.