THE DELHI High Court Monday directed the Delhi chief secretary to frame a scheme for home-based, self-employed and unorganised workers and asked the Delhi government to consider the feasibility of involving elected representatives and the civil society at large, including NGOs and gurudwaras, to deal with the issues being faced by them.
“While framing the scheme, the chief secretary shall keep in mind the prayers sought for in the present writ petition, including the prayer for payment of ex-gratia amount to the unorganised workers and the migrant workers. The chief secretary shall also ensure that the registration process under Section 10 of the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008 is simplified and is implemented at the ground level,” said the division bench of Justices Manmohan and Asha Menon, while seeking a status report from the government within two weeks.
The court said a structured response by the administration is required so that “the voiceless and the marginalized sections of the society” can be given proper and adequate relief, considering the scale and magnitude of the Covid-19 pandemic. It listed the case for further hearing on May 20.
The directions to the state were passed in a case filed by Abhijeet Kumar through advocate Varun Singh for registration of all migrant workers of Delhi under Section 10 of the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008 and providing free medicines and medical facilities to them. The petition also sought directions that the government be asked to fulfil its obligations under the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979 and pay money under the income transfer scheme to all migrant workers of Delhi.
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