States show high per capita for development, say 75% population BPL for subsidies: SC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said states showed a high per capita growth when asked to highlight the development index but claimed 75 per cent of their population was below poverty line when it came to subsidies.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said the benefit of subsidies should reach the genuine beneficiaries.

“Our concern is that are benefits meant for the genuinely poor persons percolating to those pockets who do not deserve it? Ration card has become a popularity card now,” said Justice Surya Kant.

The judge went on, “These states just say we have issued these many cards. There are some states who when they have to show their development they say our per capita income is growing. And then when we talk of BPL, they say 75 percent of the population is BPL. How can these facts be reconciled? The conflict is inherent. We have to ensure that benefits reach the genuine beneficiaries.”

The hearing related to a suo motu case initiated during the COVID19 pandemic to address the miseries of migrant labourers.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for some intervenors, said the anomaly stemmed from the inequalities in the income of people.

“There are a handful of people, who have huge wealth as compared to other population and the per capita income figure is the average of the total income of the state. The rich continue to be getting richer while the poor remain poor,” he said.

The poor migrant workers, who are registered in the e-shram portal of the government, need to be given free ration and the figure was around eight crore people, Bhushan said.

Justice Surya Kant said, “We hope that in the issuance of ration cards, there are no political elements involved. I have not lost my roots. I always want to know the plight of the poor. There are families who continue to be poor.”

Bhushan said the Centre did not conduct the 2021 Census and was continuing to rely on data from the 2011 Census as a result around 10 crore people, requiring free ration, remained out of the BPL categories.

Additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre said the government was giving free ration to around 81.35 crore people under the National Food Security Act and another 11 crore people were covered by another similar scheme.

The bench adjourned the matter and asked the Centre to file its response on the status of free ration distributed to the poor.