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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued directions to States to ensure that nearly 8 crore migrant workers who are eligible for ration are issued cards for the same [In Re Problems and Miseries of Migrant Workers]
A bench of Justices MR Shah and Ahsanuddin Amanullah noted that it was the duty of States in a welfare state to ensure that migrants are not deprived of benefits like 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 [sic],” the Court noted.
The bench observed that the Union and State governments already have the data of migrants by means of the registrants on e-Shram portal. Therefore, States can reach out to those not yet issued ration cards, the bench noted.
The Court granted three months’ time for the exercise, and asked that the same be given wide publicity.
“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 matter was posted next for October 3 this year, by when the Union government was directed to file a further status report.
The order was passed in a suo motu case taken up by the top court concerning the welfare of migrant workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The top court had taken up the matter after activists Harsh Mander, Anjali Bhardwaj and Jagdeep Chhokar moved an urgent application during the COVID pandemic.
They prayed for directions to ensure that migrant and stranded labourers are not deprived of ration and food security and are able to travel back to their homes at nominal cost.
The Court has in earlier orders in the matter passed a slew of directions in this regard.
In June 2021, the top court had directed that all States that had not implemented ‘one nation one ration scheme’ to do so by July end that year, along with providing dry ration.
The Court had questioned the Central government as to why the National Database of Unorganised Workers was not ready despite its orders calling for the preparation of the same.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan appeared for the petitioners.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati appeared for the respondents.
