Provide food-kits to even non-ration card holder migrants, Court orders Govt

FCI reveals sufficient stocks of wheat and rice in the state with them. The court ordered state Govt to provide food-grains to non-ration card holders the poor and needy

Mumbai: Taking serious note on stranded migrants in Maharashtra, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court directed the state government to provide food-kits to migrants wherever they are stranded.

The HC directive to the state government came while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by consumer organisation, Akhil Bhartiya Grahak Panchayat on the issues being faced by migrants who are left in lurch by the state. On Tuesday Justice Madhav Jamdar asked the government to submit data of migrants across the state within three days. The Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court has directed Maharashtra government to provide food-kits to all poor and needy who do not have a ration card. 

During pandemic crisis lakhs of migrants have been forced hit the roads making their way back to their homes in the native places. Many of the migrants who are walking their way back home are facing starvation as they have become jobless. Many migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand have taken to the roads and are forced to eek out life and be at mercy for food.

Coming to rescue of thousands of stranded migrants in Maharashtra who are jobless and unwillingly leaving because of hunger, the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court on May 12 directed Maharashtra government to provide food-kits to all poor and needy migrants who are not holder of ration card and also submit survey report within 3-days.

Justice Madhav Jamdar asked the state government to depute staff to conduct a survey which can be conducted on a mass scale by the government staff and accordingly a report of the same should be submitted by the government to the honorable court.

The order stated that after the survey, such poor and needy persons not holding the ration card can be identified. It is helpful for both stranded and moving (towards their hometown) . In both the cases the state government should make a provision to provide food-kits to them. The food-kit includes 10 Kg wheat, 10 Kg rice, 1 Kg Toor Dal, 1 Kg Channa Dal, 1 Kg Sugar, Tea 250 Gms, Edible oil 1 ltr and Salt.  The order directed government to keep complete record of all the needy persons to whom the food-grains are provided.

Smita Deshpande counsel of Akhil Bhartiya Grahak Panchayat prayed that due to pandemic of coronavirus spread lower strata of society, poor and needy people or stranded migrants or needy persons are gravely affected.  She also stated in the petition that lakhs of migrant workers are leaving their work place and going to their native place walking and facing starvation. Most of these migrants do not have ration card, are jobless and facing hunger as they have been left in the lurch.

Hearing the petition the court has asked the government to review the entire situation once in every three days so that poor and needy citizens who are not holding ration cards can be identified and food kits can be supplied to them.

Deshpande said, “the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in its reply to the bench of Nagpur has categorically stated that it is maintaining adequate supply chain of food grain in the entire state during this emergent situation caused due to COVID-19 pandemic.  It has enough stock of Wheat 11.33 Lakhs MT and Rice 5.35 Lakh MT of available to go anywhere or at various places in Maharashtra state.”

“In this availability of stock the migrants should not die in hunger. This is responsibility of state government to ensure migrants whether stranded or moving should get food-kits during disaster situation of pandemic,” added Deshpande.