Supreme Court Scrutinizes Freebies Distribution Amid Migrant Workers' Welfare Concerns

The Supreme Court examines the distribution of welfare benefits to migrant workers post-COVID-19. While considering past judgments, the court addresses the challenges of providing free ration and ration cards through the e-Shram portal. The focus is on balancing statutory entitlements with addressing the increased needs reflected by outdated census data.

The Supreme Court has raised concerns over the current distribution of welfare benefits to migrant workers, emphasizing the need to assess post-COVID dynamics differently. Past interventions during the pandemic provided crucial support, but the court now calls for a refined approach addressing emerging realities.

In Tuesday's session, justices reviewed prior judgments mandating welfare measures, including free ration and ration cards for migrants registered on the e-Shram portal. The focus was on resolving challenges in the welfare distribution system, taking into account the outdated data from the 2011 census.

The bench stressed the necessity of finding common ground between government entitlements and actual needs shown by increasing figures. The court also pressed the Centre for compliance with previous judgments affecting migrant workers' welfare. Further discussions are scheduled for December 9.

(With inputs from agencies.)