Lakhs of migrants were stranded in March when a lockdown was announced.
A nationwide list should be prepared on urgent basis "to identity and accurately tally the total number of migrant labourers who continue to be stranded" amid coronavirus lockdown, the Congress said today in a petition filed in the Supreme Court. Seeking "urgent and immediate" schemes to generate jobs for migrant workers, the Congress urged the top court to hear its petition tomorrow as it takes up the matter again, stressing on a countrywide plan for their welfare.
The top court on Tuesday took note of "problems and miseries" of labourers stranded by the shutdown and asked the centre and states to provide transport, shelter and food to them immediately. The Supreme Court issued notice to the centre, states and Union Territories and asked them to report to it on "steps taken to redeem the miseries" of migrant labourers within 48 hours or by Thursday.
In its petition, the Congress today insisted on a nationwide plan focusing the labourers. "At present there is no nationwide action plan for the stranded migrant labourers. To identity and accurately tally the total number of migrant labourers who continue to be stranded, the Government of India needs to carry out an exercise at the district and village level to prepare these lists immediately," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in the plea.
"In view of the fact that stranded migrant labourers have sporadic access to food, medicine and shelter and are presently dependent on largesse of private individuals for the same, the Government of India should immediately formulate a scheme to provide adequate food, medicine and shelter to the stranded migrant labourers."
The government should also work on "urgent and immediate schemes" for providing jobs to the migrant labourers, with additional and specific schemes for the welfare of their family members, the plea insisted.
Reception centres at district and village levels should be set up for receiving labourers and facilitating further travel to their native districts or villages.
Congress was "compelled" to move the court as the parliament has not been able to conduct a session due to the shutdown, Mr Surjewala said.
"Due to failure of the Government of India to formulate any joint committee with the opposition political parties for addressing issues of stranded migrant labourers, the Government of India has been unable to consider the measures suggested by the applicant (Surjewala) and the opposition party or any member of Parliament not belonging to the ruling dispensation," the petition read.
Earlier this month, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced that the government would spend Rs 3,500 crore on food for nearly 8 crore migrant workers over the next two months.
The Congress today also said that the details of welfare measures should be made public.
On Tuesday, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, while taking up the case, had said: "The newspaper reports and the media reports have been continuously showing the unfortunate and miserable conditions of migrant labourers walking on-foot and cycles from long distances."
The judges also called for "effective, concentrated efforts" to help them, noting "inadequacies" in government measures so far. "Although the Government of India and the State Governments have taken measures yet there have been inadequacies and certain lapses," they said.