PNS | NAINITAL
Taking cognisance of a report of the State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) on ragpickers and their children not being provided the benefit of government schemes, the Uttarakhand High Court took the matter up for hearing on Friday. After hearing the matter, the bench of chief justice G Narendar and justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari directed the State government to prepare a plan for the welfare of ragpickers and their children, and submit a report in the court by January 2, 2025.
Following the court’s earlier order, the Urban Development director appeared in court via video conferencing on Friday. He informed that according to a survey, there are 549 ragpickers in the State and many of them have ration cards, Aadhaar cards and voter ID with many of them availing the benefits of the government’s welfare schemes. The court directed the State government to prepare a report regarding the welfare of ragpickers and present it in the court.
It will be recalled that the SLSA had stated in its survey report that according to the report of the High Court and other district legal services authorities, the ragpickers are not getting essential commodities while their children are not benefitting from the facilities provided by the Central and State governments. Due to this, the children continue to work as ragpickers which is thwarting their mental and intellectual development.
Considering this, they should also be provided the benefit of all the relevant schemes of the Central and State governments as provided to the common citizens so that the children are not forced by circumstances to continue working as ragpickers. The development of the children of ragpickers is also important because they are connected to an important part of the society, the SLSA had stated.
