Rajasthan govt identify migrant workers, distribute them free ration for 2 months

Rajasthan government’s food department has asked all district collectors to conduct a survey of migrant workers in their respective districts by the first week of June in a bid to distribute free ration for two months to them.

Earlier, the Centre had announced that five kilograms (kg) of wheat would be given to each migrant worker for free to tide over the loss of his livelihood because of the nationwide lockdown restrictions, which were enforced on March 25 to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

The Centre’s free five kg wheat sop is aimed at migrant workers, who are not beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

Siddharth Mahajan, food secretary, in his order to the district collectors has defined migrants as people who have left their native places in search of livelihood.

The order stated that those migrants, who have returned to their home state because of the pandemic, could avail of free ration for two months along with those, who have come from other states to make a living in Rajasthan are not covered under the NFSA.

“We plan to distribute wheat for May and June by the first week of next month. The district collectors have been directed to complete the survey prior to that,” Mahajan said.

He said that the food department would not be able to supply ration to the fair price shops as the authorities do not have the exact count of beneficiaries.

Many migrants have registered themselves on the e-mitra portal for permission to travel or for availing bus or train facility arrangement by the state government.

Each district has details of migrants but some of them haven’t submitted their Aadhaar card details, which is mandatory for the distribution of free ration.

According to the state government data over two million people had registered on the e-mitra portal during the lockdown restrictions; of which 1.2 million were from the other states and the rest, around 1.2 million, were from Rajasthan.

About 640,000 migrants have already returned to Rajasthan. Another 180,000 from other states have gone back to their native places.

“Many of the migrants, who have returned to Rajasthan may have been covered under the NFSA. They won’t be eligible for additional free ration,” Mahajan said.

The state government is also looking at offering some financial help to barbers, carpenters, hotel and restaurant staff, and tourist guides, who were deprived of any income because of the lockdown restrictions. The district collectors have been instructors to identify people, who belong to 37 such professions.