The Covid-19 crisis showed why India needs a policy for its 3.6 million internally-displaced persons
India has much to answer for about the callousness with which it treated the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers whose lives were plunged into chaos on March 24 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a total lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus at a four-hour notice.
Left without their daily-wage jobs and food, the workers began a great exodus back to their home villages. Some walked hundreds of kilometres.
Despite the Centre’s inadequate management of the crisis, the Supreme Court initially declined to intercede, dismissing public interest litigations that wanted the court to direct the Centre to ensure that the workers were given transport to get home in addition to providing them with food and shelter.
By contrast, the High Courts of Madras, Andhra Pradesh, Bombay, Gujarat and others offered a semblance of hope by taking cognisance of the crisis and issued directions to their respective state governments to file status reports, ensure that personal protection equipment reached frontline workers and that food, shelter homes and travel arrangements were made for migrant workers.
On May 2, amid growing protests by migrant labourers around the country demanding to be sent home and many criticising its inaction, the Supreme Court took up a suo motu writ petition...
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