April 2,2020
by Swastika Saxena
Covid-19 not just crawled in with a bag full of adjustments, miseries and mental strain but also a plate full of plights, emotional distress and joblessness for weaker and underprivileged people presently in the country.
Considering India to be in the phase of Lockdown, millions of migrants are left jobless and peniless now . However, amidst this scenario of shutdown in the country NAGPUR bench of BOMBAY HIGH COURT has asked the state authorities to take immediate steps to provide migrant workers with basic amenities during the lockdown.
Single judge bench of Justice SUNIL B. SHUKRE ordered, “In the circumstances what looks to be sensible is to provide clothing, medicine, health care and throwing generally an umbrella of protection around these laborers…This court would , therefore, direct the state of Maharashtra to make arrangement for stay,food, sanitation clothing and health care of labourers, working class including migrant labourers, in need of these provisions.”
Migrant workers working in the urban areas lost their means of livelihood as everything came to a stanstill with the shutdown of 21 says and they were forced to return to their villages.Considering this, the court even stated that “Charitable institutions registered under the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act and Waqf Act to contribute moneys in their accounts in certain percentage”Added to this, the court even clarified that all departments of state will be allowed to submit their bills relating to expenses incurred by them in the year 2019-20 to the District Treasuries and sub-Treasuries even after deadline of APRIL 1, 2020.The stated order takes inspiration from the decision of Orissa HC’S verdict of asking the state government to provide migrants with basic amenities. Moreover, similar kinds of orders were also passed by the High Courts of Kerela and Rajasthan .