Reluctance to provide information including Aadhaar; report that many migrant workers are Rohingyas and Bangladeshis

KOLLAM: The 'Ration Right Card' scheme to provide ration goods to migrant workers will soon be started in the district. The Civil Supplies Department has completed the first phase of data collection. The Ration Right Card is being issued as part of the 'One Country, One Ration Card' scheme. So far, the information of 728 migrant workers has been collected in the district. The card is prepared in Tamil, Kannada, Assamese, Bengali and Odisha languages.

Only those who have linked their Aadhaar card with the ration card of their native place can get the Ration Right Card. A person belonging to this card will be entitled to 5 kg of ration items. The ration card number from their native place is found using the Aadhaar number collected from the workers. Aadhaar and ration card number will be accepted as documents.

The Civil Supplies Department is aiming at several things through the implementation Ration Right Card for migrant workers. The Civil Supplies Department estimates that although the card is introduced to provide ration goods, it can also prevent the black marketing of ration rice from ration shops to labour camps.

Reluctance to provide documents

Civil supplies officials say that many people hesitate to provide documents including Aadhaar when they reach the labor camps to collect information. They started showing reluctance in giving the documents when the Civil Supplies Department also arrived seeking documents and information after the Police, Excise and Labor Department collected the same documents and information. Then the documents were collected from many people through the ward councillors and through the contractors of the workers.

Police will come if you hide it

Police will nab the workers who do not provide information for the Ration Right Card. There are people who came from Rohingya and Bangladesh among the ones who claim to be migrant workers. They are the ones who are reluctant to provide the documents. The information of such persons will be collected separately and handed over to the police.