Congress’s Surjewala moves SC, suggests plan for migrant workers

NEW DELHI: Congress spokesperson and lawyer Randeep Singh Surejewala on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking to be a party in the sun motu proceedings initiated by it to provide succour to migrant workers facing hardship due to lockdown and put forth Congress's suggestions to ameliorate the workers' condition.
He said since Parlaiment has not been in session due to lockdown, the opposition parties, especially Congress, has not been able to raise the issue there. It was further hindered by the Centre's failure to set up a joint committee with opposition parties to address the issue of migrant workers.
Because of these reasons, the Centre is unable to "consider the measures suggested by the Applicant and the opposition party or any member of Parliament not belonging to the ruling dispensation," Surjewala said in his application filed through advocate Sunil Fernandes.
He suggested to the SC to direct preparing a list of stranded migrant workers by conducting a district and village wise survey. "Government of India may immediately set up reception centres and facilitation centres at district and village level for receiving labourers and facilitating further travel of the labourers to their native districts/villages."
He said the urgent need is to frame a national action plan to address the issue stranded migrant labourers and ensure food, medicine and shelter to each of them. "They are at present dependent on the largesse of private individuals for the basic needs," he claimed.
Surjewala said the financial relief announced by the Centre recently "should be implemented on an urgent and immediate basis and a public announcement detailing the reliefs with timelines
and step-wise procedure of release should be shared Read More – Source

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