National Database for The Unorganised Workers (NDUW) Including Migrant and Construction Workers is the Need of The Hour Complete the Registration as Early as Possible Apex Court Directs Centre, States

(Judicial Quest News Network)

The Apex Court has directed the Central Government and State governments to expeditiously complete the work on the Data base for unorganised workers being complied by the Union Ministry of labour and Employment in collaboration with the state.

The court said that it is necessary to have a common national Database for all unorganised workers situated in different States in the entire country and that the process initiated should be completed with the collaboration and coordination of the states.

A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and MR Shah passed this order in the Suo moto case “In Re Problems and Miseries of Migrants”. In an urgent application moved by activists Harsh Mander, Angali Bhardwaj and Jagdeep Chokkar, seeking directions to ensure that migrant workers are not deprived of ration and food security and are able to travel back to their homes at National cost amid the Covid-19.

In its earlier orders had directed Ministry of Labour and Employment to develop and deploy a portal for registration of unorganized workers and make it available to the State Governments.

The order further notes that the court is of the view that for accessing any benefit percolation from any scheme framed by the Centre or State

for the benefit of unorganised workers or migrant workers, registration of the worker is essential.

In today’s order the court said that there should be a common national database for all organised workers situated in different states.

We are of the view that for accessing of any benefit percolating from any scheme framed by the Centre or the

States for the benefit of unorganized workers or migrant workers, registration of workers is essential, which registration shall facilitate the unorganized workers to assess the scheme and reap the benefit.

In the

affidavits, there has been mention of registration process by different States. Reference of registration of migrant workers, who return to their native place in wake of lockdown, which was imposed on 24.03.2020,

developing a common portal, comprehensive National Database by Ministry of Labour and Employment under orders of this Court dated 21.08.2018 passed in SLP (Criminal) No. 150 of 2012 has also been mentioned.

The has further insisted in its order that We, thus, direct that migrant workers wherever stranded throughout the country should be provided the dry ration under the Atma Nirbhar Scheme or any other scheme is found suitable by the States/Centre.

The Apex Court had earlier directed the States of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to provide dry ration, adequate transport and community kitchens for the benefit of migrant labours in the National Capital Region. Let all States to file affidavits indicating the mechanism by which the dry ration should be distributed to those migrant workers, who does not possess a ration card. Whether the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Scheme of the Union of India, which was implemented for giving dry rations to migrant workers in May and June, 2020 is to be utilized or some other scheme has to be utilized is a matter for States to take a decision but the dry ration has to be distributed to the migrant workers throughout the country by the States.

it is submitted that although few States have made schemes for direct cash transfer to construction workers and different amounts from Rs.1,000/- to Rs.6,000/- have been transferred but no such direct transfer scheme is in place with regard to other unorganised workers.

The Applicants had submitted that It is a submitted that despite similar situation which arose last year neither the Central Government nor the state government have taken any appropriate steps to prevent similar situation arising of immense distress of migrant’s workers due to lockdowns imposed to curb COVID-19 in.

The situation wasn’t much different in Ghazipur or in Ghaziabad’s Kaushambi, where the scene was reminiscent of the mass exodus of

people from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar last year when migrant

workers had gathered in thousands at Anand Vihar after the central

government announced a lockdown in March.

The Applicants had contended that Even though states have been imposing decentralised Covid-19 curfews and lockdowns more cautiously this year, they have offered little welfare suppo4 to working

classes and migrants whose livelihoods are at sea once again.

[Read Order]