Supreme Court Urges Government to Focus on Job Creation Instead of Free Grain for Migrant Workers

It has been noted that in a significant observation, the Supreme Court of India asked the government to focus more on providing employment opportunities to migrant workers rather than solely focusing on the free grain distribution. The court also reminded the government that although it is important to provide food security, its long-term strategy should be the provision of sustainable livelihoods to workers.

The remarks came during a hearing related to a petition about the distribution of free food grains to migrant workers under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). The petitioner's lawyer, Prashant Bhushan, argued that the coverage under the NFSA still relied on the 2011 census data and did not reflect the reality of the post-COVID world, where the condition of the poor has worsened. He stated that a more accurate population count was required to extend the benefits to a larger section of the population.

The central government, through ASG Aishwarya Bhati, clarified that 81.35 crore people are already availing the subsidized food grains under the NFSA. However, the Supreme Court has made comments that bring to focus the need for the government to shift its focus more towards creating job opportunities so that migrant workers can also sustain themselves without depending on free food aid. The economic burden of distributing free grain should not fall solely on the state governments, noted the Court.