Ludhiana: Subsidised ration eludes 15,000 e-Shram workers
Supreme Court, in its order dated October 3, 2023 had directed all states and Union Territories to issue ration cards within two months to nearly 8 crore migrant and unorganised workers registered on the e-Shram portal
Nine months after e-Shram card holders were brought under the ambit of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, nearly 15,000 unorganised workers in Ludhiana continue to be excluded from the list of beneficiaries eligible for free foodgrains. Despite clear Supreme Court directions to ensure their inclusion, these workers have been left out for the third consecutive quarter from the October to December foodgrain distribution cycle, officials familiar with the matter said.
Reportedly, the Supreme Court, in its order dated October 3, 2023 had directed all states and Union Territories to issue ration cards within two months to nearly 8 crore migrant and unorganised workers registered on the e-Shram portal. The apex court had clarified that all e-Shram card holders were entitled to free foodgrains under the NFSA, once their e-KYC was completed and linked with the public distribution system (PDS) network to ensure food security.
In line with this directive, the food and civil supplies department received verified data of e-Shram card holders from the Centre in May 2024 for inclusion in the state’s ration distribution system. However, even after months of verification and completion of all necessary formalities, these workers found their names missing from the latest beneficiary list issued in October, officials said.
According to data, Ludhiana district has been allocated 24,538.762 tonnes of wheat for the October–December quarter. But officials admitted that no separate provision was made to accommodate the newly added e-Shram beneficiaries, leaving thousands without their due share of foodgrains.
A senior officer from the food and civil supplies department, requesting anonymity, attributed the exclusion to capacity constraints within the system. “Under the NFSA, Punjab is mandated to provide free foodgrains to about 1.41 crore beneficiaries but the state is already distributing to nearly 1.57 crore people beyond the approved limit. Because of this excess load, there is no room left to accommodate the newly added e-Shram card holders,” he added.
He further explained that the central government allocates wheat to states based on their approved number of beneficiaries. “This time, no additional allocation was made for e-Shram workers. Since the Centre did not release extra wheat to cover these newly added beneficiaries, their names could not be included in the current distribution cycle,” he said.
Karamjit Singh Arechha, national assistant secretary and state president of the All India Fair Price Shop Dealers Federation criticised the state government for failing to implement the Supreme Court’s directive, by stating, “In neighbouring states, e-Shram card holders are already receiving their foodgrain entitlements under the NFSA. But in Punjab, despite completing e-KYC verification, they are still waiting for their rightful share,” he said.
Arechha further added that these labourers visit fair price shops repeatedly, demanding the ration they are entitled to, but we are forced to turn them away, facing their ire even when the fault lies within the system,” he added.
When contacted, district food supplies controller (Ludhiana West), Sartaaj Singh Cheema said “We have repeatedly raised these issues to the higher authorities but so far, no clear instructions have been issued.”
