A day after Supreme Court Justice Sri N.V. Ramana donated Rs. Three Lakh to the relief funds in wake of the Corona Outbreak, another apex court judge, Justice Ravindra Bhat offered aid to migrant workers.
While Justice Ramana’s contributions included of Rs. 1 lakh each to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund as well as the Telangana Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, Justice Ravindra Bhat on Sunday handed out relief packages to migrant workers who in the last few days had been making a beeline for their respective home states. He had also requested everyone to follow social distancing and other instructions as laid down by the Government in wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, and be united in this fight against Coronavirus outbreak.
For the first time in India’s history, a 21-day total lockdown has been imposed to fight the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. On March 24, Prime Minister announced measures to curb the spread of this virus, imposing a 21day lockdown in the Country
India, post the lockdown has seen what maybe called one of the biggest migrations in the history of this Country. The lockdown resulting in shutting down of businesses and almost all operations, a large number of migrant workers have been left without jobs and food or shelter. Due to this, a large number of workers tried to return to their homes.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has also issued directions to State/Union Territory Governments and State/Union Territory Authorities to control the movement of large number of migrant workers stating it as violation of the lockdown measures on maintaining social distance, and also directed to the States to ensure adequate arrangements of temporary shelters, and provision of food, etc. for the poor and needy people, including migrant labourers stranded due to lockdown measures in their respective states.
It may be recalled that the judges of the Supreme Court had similarly contributed to the flood relief when Kerala was ravaged by floods in 2018.
-By Srishti Ojha