United Nations: UN independent experts have voiced deep concern over the plight of migrant workers in India amid the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed hope that the Indian government will promptly implement the Supreme Court's order to alleviate their hardships.
UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing Balakrishnan Rajagopal and UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty Olivier De Schutter on Thursday applauded the Indian Government's efforts so far to provide relief packages for people living in poverty and to schedule extra train rides to transport the migrant labourers to their native homes.
They, however, said these measures have been clearly inadequate and insufficient due to the vast majority of internal migrant workers not qualifying for relief packages, and the lack of coordination among state governments for the transportation of internal migrants.
The UN experts expressed hope the Supreme Court order will be promptly implemented and help to dramatically improve the situation of internal migrant workers.
"Many are stranded in intolerable conditions, hungry and without shelter, after losing their income and being forced to vacate their residences by their landlords," the experts said.
The Supreme Court last week directed that no fare for travel either by train or bus be charged from the migrant workers stranded across the country and they be provided food and water.
The apex court, which passed interim directions, said all migrant workers who are stranded at various places shall be provided food by concerned states and Union Territories (UTs) at places which shall be publicised and notified to them for the period they are waiting for their turn to board a train or a bus.
A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said that the originating state shall provide meals and water at the station and during the journey while the Railways would provide the same to the migrant workers. It said that food and water be also provided to them for travel in buses.
The scale of the COVID-19 crisis in India is testing the government's commitment to protect the rights of the most vulnerable members of society.
"By making sure that internal migrant workers urgently receive the necessary assistance during this crisis, in compliance with the order issued by the Supreme Court, it will give the government the opportunity to show its willingness to comply with its responsibilities under human rights law, the UN experts said.