Today, the Supreme Court of India has directed the State government to provide ration cards to migrant and to unorganized workers who do not have them but are registered on the centre's e-Shram portal, within three months.

A bench headed by Justice MR Shah passed the order in an application filed by activists Harsh Mander, Anjali Bharadwaj and Jagdeep Chhokar alleging non-compliance by the union and certain states with the top court's directions issued in 2021 on dry rations and open community kitchens for migrant workers. 

The bench held

"At present, we give further three months time to the concerned states to undertake the exercise to issue ration cards to the ones left-out registered on the e-Shram portal by giving wide publicity and direct the concerned state or union territory to approach such people through the district collectors' office so that more and more people registered on the portal are issued ration cards, allowing them to get the benefit of benevolent schemes by the Union of India and state governments, as well as the benefit of the National Food Security Act, 2013."

The Court, further directed the State government to file a report also. Earlier, the Court state governments to inform whether the 28.55 crores migrants/unorganised workers registered on the e-Shram portal possessed the ration cards and whether all of them had been given the benefit of food under the National Food Security Act.

The next date of hearing is on 3rd October, 2023.