The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed all the states and Union territories (UTs) to provide within two months ration cards to migrant labourers registered on the e-shram portal for availing benefits of various schemes of the government.

A bench of justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah took 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 said unnecessary delays were being caused by putting in impediments such as requiring eKYC of all 80 crore ration card-holders to be updated before the direction could be compiled with.

It 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.

Advocates Prashant Bhushan and Cheryl D'Souza, representing the petitioners, pointed out that the coverage of persons getting rations under the NFSA is to be determined on the basis of the latest census.

The counsel said as the census of 2021 has not been undertaken, the coverage continues to be on the basis of the 2011 census even though population has increased -- thereby leading to exclusion of more than 10 crore people from the purview of the food security net.

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 UTs 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 UTs to register all establishments and license 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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