Supreme Court mandates expedited issuance of ration cards to 80 million e-Shram registered migrant workers, enhancing food security. Justices express concern over delays attributed to e-KYC updates for 800 million existing cardholders, noting eight crore individuals lack ration cards, depriving them of NFSA benefits.
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NEW DELHI: Recently, The Supreme Court has mandated that states and Union Territories expedite the process of issuing ration cards to approximately 80 million migrant workers registered on the e-Shram portal. This directive will greatly improve food security for vulnerable populations.
During a recent hearing, the bench, headed by Justice Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, expressed worries about the extensive delays in distributing ration cards. These delays are mainly due to the need for a thorough update in the e-KYC (Electronic Know Your Customer) process for the existing 800 million ration cardholders. This update is essential to comply effectively with the court’s directives.
The justices pointed out that a thorough comparison between the e-Shram registrants and the beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) has been completed.
This comparison unveiled that a staggering eight crore individuals were devoid of ration cards, thereby excluding them from availing the food grain benefits entitled under the NFSA.
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The court issued a directive stating:
“The State Governments/Union Territories must proceed with the aforementioned task despite the provisions of Section 3(2) of the National Food Security Act, 2013. The impact of this action will be assessed at a later time.”
This statement highlights the court’s dedication to ensuring that the e-KYC process doesn’t slow down the timely issuance of ration cards.
Moreover, the court clarified that the distribution of ration cards should proceed irrespective of the existing quotas outlined in Section 3 of the NFSA. This section typically dictates the eligibility and entitlement of households to receive subsidized food grains under the Targeted Public Distribution System.
Section 3 of the National Food Security Act, 2013–
(1) Every person belonging to priority households, identified under sub-section (1)
of section 10, shall be entitled to receive five kilograms of foodgrains per person per month
at subsidised prices specified in Schedule I from the State Government under the Targeted
Public Distribution System.
(2) The entitlements of the persons belonging to the eligible households referred to in
sub-section (1) at subsidised prices shall extend up to seventy-five per cent. of the rural
population and up to fifty per cent. of the urban population.
(3) Subject to sub-section (1), the State Government may provide to the persons
belonging to eligible households, wheat flour in lieu of the entitled quantity of foodgrains in
accordance with such guidelines as may be specified by the Central Government.
The bench has scheduled the next hearing for July 16.
During which the Chief Secretaries of the respective states and Union Territories are expected to present affidavits. These documents should detail the progress made in the issuance of ration cards, with copies also provided to the counsel representing the Union of India to assist in data collation.
The bench emphasized the urgency, emphasizing the central government’s responsibility to ensure equitable access to food grains, particularly amidst the challenges posed by the Covid pandemic.
This case originated from a public interest litigation concerning the challenges encountered by migrant workers during the lockdowns prompted by the pandemic. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing social activists Anjali Bharadwaj, Harsh Mander, and Jagdeep Chhokar, raised issues regarding the exclusion of over 100 million workers from the Food Safety Act.
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This exclusion primarily stems from the use of outdated census data from 2011, which does not accurately reflect current demographic realities and the subsequent population growth.
