Karnataka High Court asks State to extend Rs 2,000 aid to all domestic workers and not confine it to those in BPL category

The Karnataka High Court on Friday requested the State government to provide aid of Rs. 2,000 to all domestic workers instead of restricting it to domestic workers falling in Below Poverty Line (BPL) category..The State government had issued an order on May 20, 2021, as per which it had decided to pay compensation of Rs. 2,000 to all unorganized workers in the State in view of financial difficulties due to lockdown imposed in the State in view of COVID-19. However, the State told the Court on Friday that the government sought to provide Rs 2,000 only to workers in BPL category..But the Bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice NS Sanjay Gowda said that the State should consider extending it to all domestic workers. “Object of the scheme was to benefit those categories of unorganised workers, who, due to the pandemic, were affected. It will be appropriate if the state considers modification of section 8 in aforesaid Government order. In order to enable the AG to take instructions, list the petition on August 6,” the Court said in its order. .The Court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking registration of domestic workers under the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, (Act) and related Rules, 2009..The stand of the government to restrict the relief to BPL category was opposed by the petitioner counsel Clifton D’ Rozario..He also relied on a Supreme Court judgment dated June 30..Hearing this, the Court orally opined,“Registration under the Act will not give them (unregistered domestic workers) adequate representation, that’s why the government came up with this system. We have to see the rights of the citizens under COVID-19 and duties of the State as a welfare State.”.Therefore, the Bench, in its order, recorded,“Perhaps, this category of workers may have suffered the most due to the first and second wave of COVID-19. There may be cases, where due to the pandemic, those workers who were not below BPL, were thrown into the BPL category.”.In June, the Court had questioned the State government about the practicality of asking unorganized domestic workers to register themselves online for availing compensation of Rs 2,000 extended to them in view of COVID-19..The matter will be next heard on August 6.