Migrant workers are backbone of nation building: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Thursday said farmers and migrant workers play an important role in building the nation and they cannot be ignored at all in a welfare society.

Dealing with a suo motu matter related to problems and miseries of migrant workers after Covid-19 pandemic, a bench of Justices M R Shah and B V Nagarathna said the central and state governments have to reach out to them for getting them registered to the portal for availing beneficial schemes.

It was pointed out by petitioners Anjali Bharadwaj and others that the central government had failed to undertake any exercise to re-determine coverage under the National Food Security Act and as a result, more than 10 crore people were left out of the purview of the food security net.

The bench said that migrant and other workers are the backbone of the country and they must be provided rations at subsidised rates.

"No citizen should die of hunger and it was most concerning that there were deaths due to hunger," the bench said, adding that in villages and in marginalised communities people tie a tight cloth around their stomach to supress their hunger pangs.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan submitted that of the 27.95 crore workers registered on the e-shram portal, it must be verified how many persons possessed ration cards and those without cards must be provided rations either by including them under NFSA or through some other scheme.

The court said it would pass detailed order in the matter.