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Supreme Court's welcome order to provide ration cards to migrant/unorganized workers

The Right to Food Campaign statement welcoming the Supreme Court’s order to provide ration cards to migrant/unorganised workers:
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The Right to Food Campaign welcomes the Supreme Court’s order to provide ration cards to migrant/unorganised workers registered under the eShram portal. The Supreme Court in an order dated April 20, 2023, in MA 94/2022 in ‘Re Problems and Miseries of Migrant Labourers’, has given significant directions to ensure food security for migrant workers and unorganised sector workers. 28.60 crore migrants/unorganized workers are registered on the eShram portal, of which 20.63 crore are registered on ration card data. The order directs all State/UT governments to issue ration cards under NFSA to the 8 crore persons who are registered on the eShram portal but do not possess ration cards. Due to not possessing ration cards, a large number of migrant/unorganized labourers and their families have been deprived of access to subsidized food grains and other schemes under the National Food Security Act.
The coverage under NFSA was to be updated as per the latest published census figures, however as the census of 2021 has been postponed indefinitely and no date has been notified regarding the publication of the same, more than 10 crore people who should have been issued ration cards have been left out of the purview of the food security net.
The Right to Food Campaign demands:
  • All States and Union territories must immediately undertake the exercise, as directed by the SC, to issue ration cards to 8 crore migrant/unorganised sector workers who are registered on e-shram but do not possess a ration card.
  • Governments must universalise access to PDS for all migrant/unorganised sector workers and provide ration cards without putting in place multi-fold and complex inclusion/exclusion criteria including any income criteria. Adoption of complicated criteria ends up excluding people as they are often unable to furnish the necessary documentation including residence proof, aadhaar card, electricity bills, etc. These persons are among the most economically vulnerable sections of society and must be included under the ambit of the NFSA.

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