States must implement 'One Nation, One Ration Card' scheme by July 31, says Supreme Court
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The Supreme Court on Tuesday has directed states, union territories to implement a 'one nation, one ration card' scheme by July 31. A bench of justices Ashok Bhushan and M R Shah had on June 11 reserved its judgement on pleas of activists Anjali Bharadwaj, Harsh Mander and Jagdeep Chhokar seeking the implementation of welfare measures for migrant workers hit hard again by the curbs imposed during the second wave of COVID-19.
While reserving the order, the bench had asked the states and union territories (UTs) to implement ‘one nation, one ration card’ (ONORC) scheme as it allows migrant workers to get ration at the place of their work in other states as well where their ration cards are not registered.
The Centre had said that while most states were implementing the ONORC, four of them, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and West Bengal -- had not done so and implementing it would depend on their technical readiness. "States directed to register all establishment and contractors under the Inter-state Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service", the Court said.
"States directed to run community kitchens where large number of migrant workers are founds. Such community kitchens must be run till pandemic continue", it added.
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