NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court on Thursday provided much-needed relief to migrant workers by directing state governments to provide free transport and adequate food to those who seek to go to their home states.
The directive by the apex court bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.R. Shah came in a suo motu action related to the miseries faced by India’s informal workforce hit by the lockdown put in place to check the spread of coronavirus and the subsequent job losses.
The originating state will be responsible for providing food and water at stations and bus stands, while Indian Railways must be held responsible for their requirements during the journey, said the top court.