The Supreme Court, in a recent order, directed states to ensure that nearly eight crore migrant workers eligible for rations receive their ration cards.
The bench, comprising of Justices MR Shah and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, emphasized the obligation of welfare states to ensure that migrants are not deprived of entitlements such as food grains.
“Out of 28.60 registrants on eShram 20.63 crores are registered on ration card data. Meaning thereby, the rest registrants on eShram are still without ration cards. Without the ration card a migrant/unorganized labourer or his family members may be deprived of the benefit of the schemes and may be the benefit under the National Food Security Act. Therefore, being a welfare State, it is the duty of the concerned State/UT to see that the remaining registrants on eShram, who are still not registered. Issuance of ration cards is required to be expediated,” the Court Said.
The bench noted that the Union and State governments already possess data on migrants through the e-Shram portal registrants. The bench noted that states can therefore reach out to those without ration cards. The court granted three months for the exercise and requested that it be widely publicised.
“The concerned State/UT to approach them through the office of the concerned Collector of the District so that more and more registrants on eShram portal are issued the ration cards and so that they may get the benefit of the benevolent schemes floated by the UOI and the State Government including the benefit under the National Food Security Act.”
The Union government has been directed to provide an updated status report by October 3 in a case initiated by the Supreme Court concerning the welfare of migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Harsh Mander, Anjali Bhardwaj, and Jagdeep Chhokar, activists concerned with the rights of migrant and stranded labourers, filed an urgent application with the highest court during the pandemic.
The Court has issued various directives in response to their requests, including a June 2021 order directing states without the “one nation, one ration” scheme to implement it by July of that year and provide dry ration.
The Supreme Court questioned the Central government in prior orders about the National Database of Unorganised Workers, which had not yet been prepared despite its directives.
