Migrant workers' registration process very slow, says SC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday said the process of registration of migrant workers is very slow and it must be expedited so that benefit of various schemes can be extended to them amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The apex court observed it is not happy with the efforts of the Centre as well as the states on the issue of registration of unorganised workers.

While stressing on the need to register migrant as well as unorganised workers, a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and M R Shah said the benefit of schemes meant for them can be extended after they are identified and registered by authorities.

The process of registration is very slow. We are not happy with the efforts undertaken by the Centre and states on registration of unorganised workers, the bench said.

The top court said the government must ensure that benefit of schemes reach the beneficiaries, including migrant workers, and the process must be monitored and supervised.

The apex court was hearing an application filed by three activists who have sought directions to the Centre and states to ensure food

security, cash transfers, transport facilities and other welfare measures for migrant workers who are facing distress due to the curbs clamped in several parts of the country amid the pandemic.

The top court said it had last year passed directions regarding registration of migrant workers.

The bench said for extending the benefits of schemes, the authorities must complete the process of registration and the government should also reach to these workers to complete it expeditiously.

We want this process to the completed. We also want that all organised workers be registered, it said, adding, We will ask the government to speed up the process .

It is a difficult task but has to be achieved, the bench said, adding, Our main concern is that benefits meant for them must reach them .

During the hearing conducted through video-conferencing, the bench told the counsel appearing for Gujarat that if the contractors and employers are not cooperating in the process of registration of workers then the state government may consider cancelling their licences.

The top court said there must be supervision of these benefit schemes to ensure that it reaches the concerned beneficiaries.

On paper, we have everything which says that government has spent thousands of crores on this, but the issue is whether it is reaching to the concerned persons. You have to monitor and supervise it, the bench observed.

It is the anxiety of the court that the benefit of schemes must reach to the concerned person, the bench said, adding that it would pass order in the matter during the day.