Supreme Court tells Centre to focus on generating employment instead of giving free ration

The Supreme Court called on the Centre to focus on employment generation instead of giving free ration to the poor people. The court pointed out the fiscal burden of continuing to provide free ration to people. 

The top court said that if providing ration at large levels continues, state governments would continue issuing ration cards to appease people, since they know that the liability to provide the grains rests on the Centre. The court was hearing the matter pertaining to providing food under the Food Security Act. 

"If the states were asked to provide free ration, many of them would say they cannot, citing financial crunch, and hence the focus should be on generating more employment," the court observed, further mulling if the states only should be made to pay for the ration if they keep on issuing ration cards. 

The Centre's counsel, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, informed the court that the government supplies free ration, including wheat and rice, to 80 crore impoverished citizens under the National Food Security Act 2013. Despite this, petitioner Advocate Prashant Bhushan argued that approximately 2 to 3 crore people remain excluded from the scheme.

The court was reviewing a plea that highlighted the challenges faced by migrant workers. Previously, it had ordered that eligible individuals entitled to ration cards or food grains under the NFSA, identified by the respective states or Union Territories, must receive ration cards by November 19, 2024.

During the court session on Monday, a heated exchange occurred between SG Mehta and petitioner Bhushan. SG Mehta noted that the case was initiated by the Supreme Court in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic and accused Bhushan of attempting to govern and create policies independently. Bhushan countered, claiming that the Centre's counsel was making such remarks because Bhushan had once exposed damaging emails about the SG.

The court has postponed the matter for the next hearing, scheduled for January 8, 2025.