SC comes to the rescue of stranded migrant workers: Know details

Today Supreme Court told the central and state governments to identify migrant workers stranded in the nationwide lockdown and send them home within 15 days.

Supreme Court orders states that cases against them should be dropped. The court asked the authorities to consider withdrawing legal complaints against migrant workers charged with violating lockdown rules.

On Friday itself, the Supreme Court Friday said it intends to give 15 days to the Centre and states for transporting all stranded migrant workers to their native places.

The bench was informed on Friday by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that till June 3, over 4,200 Shramik Special' trains have been deployed to transport migrant workers to their native places.

Mehta said that till now over one crore migrant workers have been transported to their destinations and most of the trains ended up in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

He said state governments can tell as to how many more migrant workers need to be shifted and how many trains are required for that purpose.

Supreme Court today said in its order that in the event of demand of Shramik Trains, Railways shall provide trains within 24 hours; also Railways will provide all schemes to migrant workers and publicise them.

On May 28, the top court had directed that the migrant workers wanting to return to their home states will not be charged train or bus fares and those stranded across the country will be provided food free of cost by the authorities concerned.

A Bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M R Shah said the schemes for the welfare and employment of migrant workers should be publicised, and posted the matter for further hearing in July.

The central government had on May 28 given the court a preliminary report, which said 9.1 million migrant workers had been taken to their states during the lockdown (as of the previous day).

Tens of thousands of people walked home from cities after losing their jobs when India announced one of the world’s strictest lockdowns and suspended all public transport to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Last Thursday, Supreme Court had asked Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to respond to a plea alleging that the authorities concerned failed to take prompt action to help 187 victims of bonded labour who are working in brick kilns in these two states.

A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao was hearing the plea which has sought urgent release and rehabilitation of the victims, including pregnant women and children, who are being allegedly held at three different brick kilns in these states.

Nearly 200 migrant workers died in road accidents while returning to their homes during the lockdown, according to reports. According to the SaveLIFE Foundation, a charity that works towards improving road safety and emergency care in India, more than 1,400 road accidents killed 750 people, including 198 migrant workers, between March 25 and May 31, reported news agency Reuters.

At present, India is the fifth-worst-hit nation by number of cases, the total number of coronavirus cases in India has jumped to 267,046, while 7,473 people have died from the disease so far. Maharashtra has recorded a tally of 88,528, which is more than China's