New Delhi: With the overall vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to alleviate sufferings of the people during the 21-day nationwide lockdown, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah has communicated to the State/UT governments to take appropriate measures to ensure effective implementation of the lockdown measures on maintaining social distance, while mitigating the economic hardship of the migrant workers during this period.
Under the directions from the Union Home Minister, the Union Home Secretary has written to the States/UTs to take measures to create relief shelters with all basic amenities and mitigate economic hardships to prevent movement of a large number of migrant workers to their domicile States, so as to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In order to ensure effective implementation of the lockdown measures, and to mitigate the economic hardship of the migrant workers, all States/UTs have been advised to take following additional measures:
State/UT Governments to ensure adequate arrangements of temporary shelters, and provision of food etc. for the poor and needy people, including migrant labourers, stranded due to lockdown measures in their respective areas;
The migrant people, who have moved out to reach their home states/ home towns, to be kept in the nearest shelter by the respective State/UT Government quarantine facilities after proper screening for a minimum period of 14 days as per standard health protocol;
All the employers, be it in the Industry or in the shops and commercial establishments, to make payment of wages of their workers, at their work places, on the due date, without any deduction, for the period their establishments are under closure during the lockdown;
It is to be ensured that wherever the workers, including the migrants, are living in rented accommodation, the landlords of those properties must not demand payment of rent for a period of one month.
If any landlord is forcing labourers and students to vacate their premises, they will be liable for action under the Act.
The order stated that in case of violation of any of the above measures, the respective State/UT Government, would take necessary action under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the District Magistrate/ Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendant of Police/ Superintendant of Police/ Deputy Commissioner of Police would be personally liable for implementation of the above directions and lockdown measures issued earlier.
Prasanta Patnaik