The Madras High Court has directed the State government to undertake an extensive process of enumerating and enlisting all unorganised workers in the State under 34 different welfare boards constituted for their benefit.
Justices M.M. Sundresh and R. Hemalatha directed all Collectors to undertake the exercise and complete it within eight weeks. The directions were issued while dismissing the plea for granting COVID-19 cash relief to unregistered workers too.
The judges agreed with Advocate General Vijay Narayan that such a direction could not be issued since it was mandatory to be a registered member of the Welfare Board concerned and also to have renewed the registration after paying necessary charges.
It was from the funds that had been contributed by the members that the government had ordered payment of cash assistance and hence it would not be proper to grant the relief to workers who had failed to register or renew the registration, the A-G said.
However, holding that the unorganised workers, who were mostly illiterates or semi-literates, could not be left in a lurch forever and they should be able to get benefits in the future, the judges ordered for carrying out the enumeration exercise.
They also made it clear that the applicants need not be asked to produce certificates from Village Administrative Officers concerned before enrolling their names in the boards and that it would be the duty of the board to check the genuineness of the applicants through the VAOs.
