The Supreme Court mentioned that the migrants play an important role in forming the nation on Thursday while asking the Centre to form a mechanism for the migrants so that they can avail food grains without ration cards.
The top court declared that the scheme formed by the Centre, must reach out to the maximum number of workers. It also said that the state governments will have to cooperate and assist the Union of India.
A bench of Justices M R Shah and B V Nagarathna said that there are two concerns of the country, they are- the farmers, the agriculturalist and the second is migrants, who play an important role in nation building. They mentioned that even if these two classes are illiterate and don’t know how to avail the government schemes, the concerned states must reach out to them.
Solicitor General, Aishwarya Bhati, who appeared for the Central Government, said that around 27.95 crore labors have been registered on a portal developed in constitution with the national Informatics Centre on July 11. It was completely based on the information that was gathered by the states to the bench. Adding to her words, she said that a portal named the e-Shram portal has been launched to help people like migrants, constitutional workers etc.
The National Career Service portal has been launched to provide the citizens of India with huge scope for employment and career-related services.
The ASG has also promoted a pension scheme for all the unorganized workers, named as the Pradan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan to ensure old age protection.
The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana scheme has been extended till September. Bhati has said that allotment of surplus foodgrains is being looked into, as demanded by the states. The states can be produced by the states at the Food Corporation of India.
Prashant Bhushan advocating for Anjali Bharadwaj, Harsh Mander and Jagdeep Chhokar, the three activists, said the Centre has asked to buy ration at market rates.
Bhushan mentioned that most of the workers are being deprived of ration, for not being registered on the portal as they lack in having ration cards.
Bhushan said, “NFSA covers up to 75 percent of the rural population and 50 percent of the urban population under Antyodaya Anna Yojana and priority households. However, this number is based on the census of 2011. There has been a 15 per cent increase in the population eligible for ration cards and they are deprived”.
The bench said that as Bhushan is following up on the 2011 census, it can cause injustice to the needy people. The bench added on questioning what about those people who are registered in the portal and don’t have ration cards? “You have to think it over and come with a beneficiary solution for the maximum number of workers”, it added. Bench guided that the state governments should make all the efforts to formulate ration cards for all.
The top court has formulated directions seeking welfare of the migrant workers and ordered states and Union territories to frame schemes, on the request of the activists. The scheme will provide with dry rations till the pandemic lasts, while the Centre will allocate additional foodgrains. The UTs and states are directed to register all the establishments, license of all the contractors under the law. It will ensure statutory duty on the contractors giving them a full compilation of the particulars about the migrant workers.
The plea was filed in a pending suo motu case of 2020. The top court in May 20220 took the awareness on the problems and miseries of the migrant laborers and passed array of directions.
