SC gives 3 more months to states, UTs to provide ration cards to left-out migrant labourers

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted another three months time to all states and Union territories to provide rations cards to migrant labourers registered on the e-shram portal for availing benefits of “benevolent schemes” of the government.
The top court posted the matter for further hearing on October 3 and asked the Centre to file a status report.
A bench of justices MR Shah and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said, “At present, we give further three months’ time to the concerned State/UT to undertake the exercise to issue ration cards to the left out registrants on e-Shram portal by giving wide publicity and the concerned State/UT to approach them through the office of the concerned Collector of the District, so that more and more registrants on e-Shram 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.” It said, “We appreciate the exercise undertaken by the UOI with the assistance of the respective States/UTs for registration of the migrants/unorganized workers on e-Shram portal.” Also Read Modi surname case: Court dismisses Rahul Gandhi’s plea against conviction It noted that 28.60 crores migrants/unorganized workers are registered on e-Shram portal which is a “commendable job” but added that out of 28.60 registrants on e-Shram portal, 20.63 crores are registered on ration card data.
“Meaning thereby, the rest of the registrants on e-Shram 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,” it said.