The Supreme Court directed all states to complete the verification process of migrant labourers for ration cards within four weeks. The court has warned that any failure to comply with this order will result in serious consequences.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court criticized defaulter states for the delay in verifying migrant laborers registered on the e-shram portal for the issuance of ration cards, ordering the completion of this process within four weeks.
The court also instructed the Centre to release food grains to states that have completed the verification.
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A bench comprising Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah labelled the delay as “unfortunate” and warned of summoning the concerned secretaries if the states fail to meet the deadline.
The bench expressed frustration, stating,
“Why could the verification not be completed in four months? This is too much. After four months, you are still doing it and have the audacity to say another two months are required. We hereby direct that the entire verification be completed in four weeks.”
The court noted that only Bihar and Telangana completed 100% verification of migrant laborers. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioners, pointed out that while some states have made progress, others haven’t even started the verification process. Bhushan also highlighted that some states, even after issuing ration cards, are not distributing rations to these workers, blaming the central government for not allocating additional rations.
The matter scheduled for a hearing on August 27.
Previously, the Supreme Court instructed all states and Union territories to issue ration cards within two months to the approximately eight crore migrant laborers registered on the e-shram portal, ensuring they benefit from various government schemes.
The court earlier noted the failure of authorities to comply with its April 20, 2023 directions, which had given them three months to issue ration cards to the laborers.
The court criticized the unnecessary delays caused by requirements such as updating the eKYC of all ration card-holders. It emphasized that ration cards must be issued regardless of the quotas set under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
The Supreme Court hearing a petition by Anjali Bhardwaj, Harsh Mander, and Jagdeep Chhokkar, who argued that ration should be provided to migrant laborers irrespective of the NFSA quotas.
Read Also: Supreme Court Directs States & UTs to Issue Ration Cards to 80 Million Migrant Workers
In response to a plea by three activists advocating for migrant workers’ welfare, the Supreme Court earlier issued several directives. These included ordering states and Union territories to create schemes providing free dry rations to migrant workers throughout the Covid pandemic, with the Centre responsible for allocating additional food grains.
Additionally, it mandated that states and Union territories register all establishments and license all contractors in accordance with the law, ensuring contractors fulfil their statutory duty to provide details of migrant workers.