The Supreme Court on Tuesday rapped defaulter states for the delay in verification of migrant labourers registered on the e-shram portal for issuance of ration cards and directed them to complete the exercise within four weeks.

The top court also directed the Centre to release food grains to those states which have completed the verification of migrant labourers.

Terming the delay as "unfortunate", a bench of justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said if the states fail to complete the verification process within the stipulated time it will summon the secretaries concerned.

"Why could the verification be not 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 bench said.

The top court noted that Bihar and Telangana were the only states have completed 100 per cent verification of migrant labourers.

During the hearing, advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that while some states have completed the process of verification, others have not even started the exercise.

"There is also another issue that if ration card is issued, these states are not issuing rations to these workers and they say that central government has not allocated them additional ration for these people," Bhushan said.

The top court has posted the matter for hearing on August 27.

The apex court had earlier directed all the states and Union territories to provide within two months ration cards to approximately eight crore migrant labourers registered on the e-shram portal for availing benefits of various schemes of the government.

It had taken note that the authorities have failed to comply with the court's April 20, 2023 directions by which it had granted three months' time to them to provide rations cards to the labourers.

The apex court had said unnecessary delays were being caused by putting in impediments such as requiring eKYC of all ration card-holders to be updated before the direction could be compiled with.

It had directed that the ration cards must be issued irrespective of the quotas set under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

The top court was hearing an application filed by petitioners Anjali Bhardwaj, Harsh Mander and Jagdeep Chhokkar who had sought that ration to the migrant labourers be given irrespective of the quota of ration under the NFSA.

The top court had earlier said the migrant workers play a very vital role in building the nation and their rights cannot be ignored.

It had also asked the Centre to devise a mechanism so that they receive food grains without ration cards.

Earlier, the top court had issued a slew of directions to the authorities on a plea of the three activists seeking welfare measures for migrant workers and ordered the states and the Union territories to frame schemes for providing free dry rations to them till the Covid pandemic lasted and said the Centre will have to allocate additional food grains.

It had also directed the states and the Union territories to register all establishments and licence all contractors under the law and ensure that the statutory duty is imposed on the contractors to give particulars of migrant workers.

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