Recent Developments Regarding The One Nation, One Ration Card (ONORC) Scheme

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• 17 states have already implemented the One Nation, One Ration Card Scheme.
• Uttarakhand is the latest state to implement the reform.
• The ONORC scheme ensures the availability of foodgrains to ration beneficiaries under the Nation Food Security Act (NFSA).
• Recently, the Supreme Court has ordered all the States to implement the said scheme at the earliest without any excuses or delay.
• West Bengal, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Delhi have not completed the implementation as of now.

INTRODUCTION

In 2019, the Union Government had introduced the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ in four states. This scheme was designed to make sure that all ration beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act can get ration supplies from anywhere in the country and from any Public distribution system of their choice. The plans for the nation-wide roll out of this scheme was announced in March 2021 by the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman.

ONE NATION, ONE RATION CARD SCHEME

This scheme applies to those citizens who are in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category. The beneficiaries are identified on the basis of the AADHAR identification done through the electronic Point of Sale (PoS) device. All the PDS shops are to have this device. The scheme is directed at improving the country’s ranking on the Global Hunger Index. The underlying reason behind introducing this scheme is to reduce the influence and role of middlemen, to cull out false ration cards and ensure that people have access to food grains even if they shift their location from one place to another. Under the current system, one can only buy food grains from Fair Price Shops in their locality. This scheme is beneficial to migrant workers and their families, labourers, daily workers, rag pickers, street dwellers as they move from place to place in search of work. It ensures the interstate portability of the ration card. States which have completed the One Nation, One Ration Card Scheme are eligible for an additional borrowing of Rupees 37,600 Crore from the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. They are also entitled to a borrowing of 0.25% of Gross State Domestic Product. The progress of the implementation of the Plan is regularly reviewed by the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Public Distribution and Shri Ram Vilas Paswan. He has also regularly convened video conferences with the State Food Ministers and Secretaries to review the implementation of the Plan. As per the One Nation, One Ration Card scheme, the facility of portability of ration cards is seamlessly enabled in a cluster of 24 states/UTs with a total population of 65 Crores.

SUPREME COURT’S JUDGEMENT

The Supreme Court had taken up the suo moto case of “In Re Problems and Miseries of Migrant Workers”. After the SC was notified that Maharashtra and Gujarat had implemented the said scheme successfully, the SC ordered that it was to be implemented by all the other states as well. The Bench consisting of Justice M R Shah and Justice Ashok Bhushan emphasised that no excuses were to be given regarding its implementation when the counsel for West Bengal notified the delay in implementing the scheme due to a seeding issue with AADHAR. The issue of non availability of resources to unregistered migrants was raised by Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave. He said that there was no portal having the scientific data of vulnerable sections of the society and hence they are facing serious difficulties. Responding to this, the Solicitor General, Tuhar Mehta put forth that the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana had been extended up to November. The ASG, Aishwarya Bhati stated that 8 Lakh metric tonnes of food grains had been given by the Centre to the States for distribution. The Court then raised a concern whether those migrants who did not have any form of identification could avail the benefits of the schemes. The Court also enquired about the progress made in the setting up of the database which would recognise the beneficiaries and ensure that they received the due benefits. The Union Secretary has informed the Court that the portal was ready and all other issues related with it were being sorted out. However, Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves submitted that every state was complaining of the lack of access to the aforementioned portal. To this, the Solicitor General agreed that the portal could not take so much time to be completed and the NIC would be ensuring its time bound completion. As per Senior Advocate Anand Grover, those registered under the Code of Social Security were to be incorporated into the registration scheme by the Centre.

As of now, the Court has granted three days to file a short note. It has emphasized the need for a Common National Database for all the unorganised workers in the country. It directed the Ministry of Labor and Employment to create the National Database for Unorganised Workers in collaboration with the states. Section 112 of the Code of Social Security, 2020 deals with the registration of unorganised workers. The Centre has been allowed to file an affidavit within two weeks regarding the same. The bottom line remains that the Central and State Governments have been instructed to complete the registration process of organised workers at the earliest so that unorganised workers can access the benefits of the various welfare schemes initiated by the Government as it is difficult to do so without proper registration or identification.

CONCLUSION

The COVID-19 pandemic showed us the havoc it created in the lives of migrant workers as they had to find a way back home amidst the lockdown with no access to a source of transport as all major lifelines of the country were shut down. In wake of this situation and to prevent it from repeating itself, proper access of migrant workers in the unorganised sector to the welfare schemes initiated by the Central and State Government is the need of the hour and the Court’s order is a welcome one as it will direct the Government to make the right step.