Are Migrants Registered In E-Shram Portal Given Benefits Under Food Security Act? Supreme Court Asks Centre, States

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Union of India and all state governments to inform whether the 28.55 crores migrants/unorganised workers registered on the E-Shram portal are having the ration cards and whether all of them are given the benefit of food under the National Food Security Act.The Court said that mere registration in the portal is not enough and that the benefits of the benevolent schemes of the government reach the poorest of the poorThe bench of Justices M. R. Shah and B. V. Nagarathna was hearing application filed by activists Harsh Mander, Anjali Bharadwaj and Jagdeep Chhokar alleging non-compliance by Union and certain States with the Court's directions issued in 2021 on ration, community kitchens (in re problems of migrant workers case).Additional Solicitor General of India Aishwarya Bhati appeared for the Centre and Senior Advocate C. U. Singh represented the applicants in today's proceedings.Justice Shah to ASG Bhati: "We are not interested in sharing of data between the states and the Centre. We are interested that migrants, who are skilled or unskilled, get the benefit of the scheme. The government should reach every migrant, first of all the ones who are already registered. What is the mechanism- taluka level, district level, state-level? So many times I have found that under building registration, many are not having the licences also"ASG: "Data sharing will be critical because even for the central schemes- the money is given by the central government- but the execution is through the state governments. Data sharing through the state governments is extremely critical. We wrote to them in October 2022 for sharing of data. Haryana has come forward. We are working on model data sharing guidelines and the portal to be worked out. Then all the central schemes, state schemes can be integrated and they will be seamless and the benefits will be passed on"Justice Shah: "When?"ASG: "The central scheme has already started. One is the NCS portal, the other is ASEEM and Udyam (National Career Service (NCS) and Atmanirbhar Skilled Employee-Employer Mapping (ASEEM)). These are the two schemes. The benefits are being made available...."Justice Shah: "But they are being made available, according to you, through the state government? You tell us by Friday or Monday what are the central government schemes which will be made available directly by the union government to the migrants who are already registered. You have come out with these schemes, these are your schemes, you must ensure that these benefits are directly available to the migrants who are registered. Don’t rely on the state governments right now. What are other schemes, tell us?"ASG: "There is the pension scheme for the unemployed workers, the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan"Justice Shah: "The government has come out with very good schemes, but ultimately, don’t expect that the migrants will come to you. They are all scattered. They are coming from Assam to Gujarat, Bihar to other places. They reside in a very small hut or other places. Their children are there. What are the benefits they will get?"ASG: "The food benefit is the main that they will get because of the 'one nation-one ration card'...."Justice Shah: "What about so far as medical facilities, pension, education facilities are concerned? They must have security. They are not people who can afford the premium and everything"Justice Nagaratha: "If a construction worker falls and sustains a serious injury, what happens to him? Unless the construction company has insured all the employees under the insurance scheme, he is nowhere"ASG: "The registration on e-shram has been self-registration by the workers, it has not been scrutinised by the government at any point. Only the money is being given by the central government, they frame the guidelines, even the 'one nation- one ration card' the states only have to execute, National Food Security Act also only the states have to execute"Justice Shah: "You tell us on Monday five major schemes of the central government and what are the benefits which would be available under those schemes, so that we can pass appropriate orders. Also tell us that so far as other central schemes are concerned, these are the schemes, these are the funds allocated, but the implementation has to be done by the concerned states so we can pass a judgment for the states that this benefit must reach the concerned migrants at the doorstep. You know under what conditions they are working?"Senior Advocate C. U. Singh. "In the original judgment, Your Lordships were concerned with the National Food Security Act and that the ration cards are actually issued. When your lordships directed registration of all unorganised workers- 28.55 crores have registered- your lordships had categorically said that in our order, we have emphasised the need for registration of migrant and unorganised workers and one of the object is to say that all the benevolent schemes by the ...

Are Migrants Registered In E-Shram Portal Given Benefits Under Food Security Act? Supreme Court Asks Centre, States

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