I am sorry. I should not have been angry and have acted like that, the lawyer said. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said that the government was currently providing ration to all those people who are eligible under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).The bench then asked the Centre to file an affidavit indicating compliance of the judgement and subsequent directions.The top court, in the 2021 judgement, had termed as unpardonable the Centre’s apathy and lackadaisical attitude towards creating National Database for Unorganised Workers (NDUW) and ordered its commencement by July 31, 2021 so that all migrant workers are registered and welfare measures extended to them during COVID distress.It had ordered the states and Union Territories (UTs) to frame schemes for providing free dry ration to them till the pandemic lasts, while the Centre will have to allocate additional foodgrains.A bench comprising justices Ashok Bhushan and M R Shah, since retired, had also ordered that the states, which have not yet implemented ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme are directed to implement the same.The top court directed the department of Food and Public Distribution to allocate and distribute foodgrains as per demand of additional food-grains from the states for disbursement of dry food grains to migrant labourers”.We direct the states to bring in place an appropriate scheme for distribution of dry ration to migrant labourers for which it shall be open for states to ask for allocation of additional food grains from the Central Government, which, as directed…shall provide the additional food grains to the state, it had ordered, adding it may be continued till the current pandemic exists.The suo motu case was registered in 2020 after taking cognizance of problems and miseries of the migrant labourers and had passed a slew of directions.
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