GS PAPER III: Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment.

Context: The Supreme Court set a deadline of July 31 for States to implement the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme to allow migrant workers avail of subsidised food from any part of the country.

• The court directed State governments to introduce a scheme to supply dry rations to migrant workers by July 31 and operate community kitchens so that no one went hungry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The court reminded the authorities that right to food was a fundamental right.
• “One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) plan aims to empower all National Food Security Act migrant beneficiaries to access food grains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) of their choice anywhere in the country by using their same/existing ration card with biometric authentication.
• The ONORC, was part of technology reforms in Targeted Public Distribution System in the country.
• With growing inter-State migration from villages and rural towns to big cities, the effort was to ensure that migrant workers and their families get assured access to nutrition via national portability of ration cards under the Food Security Act.
• Beneficiaries could lift their entitled food grains from any electronic point of sale (ePoS) enabled FPS in the country through portability.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-orders-implementation-of-one-nation-one-ration-card-scheme-by-july-31/article35030657.ece?homepage=true

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