Free food grain for millions of migrant workers: Are they getting any?

UP, Bihar, MP, Odisha, and Jharkhand fare poorly in helping workers returning home after losing their livelihoods in lockdown.

Reports suggest that the government’s ambitious scheme of distributing free foodgrain to migrant workers during the lockdown period has not been effective. According to data released by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, 11 states have distributed less than one per cent of the allocated quantities during the months of May and June. 

States and Union Territories have lifted 80 per cent of the free foodgrains (80 lakh metric tonnes) apportioned to them to distribute to an estimated 8 crore migrant workers over two months. However, according to the government's own data, only 13 per cent of this was distributed and benefitted only 2.25 per cent of the migrant workers.

On June 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an extension of the free food grain scheme till the end of November. This would cover 80 crore beneficiaries, comprising those already covered under the public distribution system (PDS) as well as returning migrants without ration cards. His reference to the food needs of the “festive season” and a special mention of Chhat Puja, reinforced a link analysts see between free food schemes and elections. Bihar is expected to go to polls in November.

Whatever might be the political collateral of the food grain scheme, figures suggest that the Bihar government’s food distribution is among the worst. The state estimated a return of 30 lakh migrant workers. Yet it distributed free food to only about 3.68 lakh returning migrants in May and to none in June. It lifted its entire quota of free foodgrains for returning migrants (86,450 metric tonnes) but only distributed 2.13 per cent of it (1,842 metric tonnes).

The free food for returning migrants scheme in adjoining Uttar Pradesh (UP) also seems to be in disarray. According to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, 35 lakh migrant workers returned to the state by mid-June. Of these only 4.39 lakh were beneficiaries of free food grain in May and 2.25 lakh in June. UP was assigned the maximum free food grain to any state (1,42,033 metric tonnes). It lifted nearly all of this but distributed only 3,324 metric tonnes (2.03 per cent).  Jharkhand too lifted 100 per cent of its allocated quota but distributed only 0.3 per cent of it in May and June to the migrant beneficiaries.

It defies common sense that in states like UP and Bihar, which claim a very large number of migrant returnees, free food grain has been distributed to such minuscule numbers. Both states claim to also have identified their target beneficiaries to the extent of preparing skill profiles of the migrants. So their failure to deliver free rations is completely inexplicable.

Rajasthan is the only one among the top six states with a large number of returning migrants which has distributed as much as 95 per cent of the allocated quota for migrants. The others—UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh (MP), Odisha, and Jharkhand—have fared poorly. Curiously, Odisha lifted only 1.19 per cent of the state’s free food grain quota and MP only 4 per cent. Many southern states it is believed may not have lifted free foodgrain quotas from the central pool as they already have well-run free food grain schemes of their own. Further many of them are net employment-giving states who say that they cannot implement the free foodgrain scheme for migrants as they have returned to their home states.

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ramvilas Paswan has admitted to problems with distribution of free foodgrain. He said, “Some states are not distributing food grains to the poor. It is a matter of concern … they should be sensitive to the poor … When it (food grain) is being given free, I don’t understand the problem of distribution.” Nor does anyone else.

The concerned Ministry suggests that under-utilisation may be because the estimated target of 8 crore returning migrants was over-liberal, “This number (of migrants) turned out to be much less at 2.13 crore than the initially estimated number of 8 crore.” It also suspects that migrants in their home states may already have access to food under existing schemes. And finally it suggests that the seemingly poor distribution statistics are due to states not having uploaded their latest figures. They have now been given till July 15 to update them.

After showing zero beneficiaries in June, Bihar apparently corrected its figures on July 2, showing that 1.73 crore persons were covered by the scheme. But since the number of PDS ration cards in Bihar is already estimated to be 1.68 crore the new figure would mean that a maximum of 5 lakh migrant beneficiaries were added. That is a mere drop in the ocean as the state claims that 30 lakh migrants have returned.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that hunger and joblessness, which had driven the migrants back to their villages, is now pushing them back to the cities. Passenger data between June 1- 25 for trains arriving in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region shows that of the 4,81,983 passengers, 1,91,741 came on trains originating in UP; 83,515 from Bihar, and 78,425 from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi combined. 

According to East Central Zone Railways, special trains from Bihar to major cities are running to capacity. The average occupancy (as on June 29) of the Muzaffarnagar- Ahmedabad Special was 133%, Danapur-Secunderabad Special 126%, Jayanagar (Madhubani) – Amritsar Special 123%, Danapur-Bengaluru Special 120%, Patna-Ahmedabad Special 117%, Saharsa-New Delhi Special 113% and Danapur-Pune Special 102%.

If this trend continues how will it impact the free food grain distribution programme till November? As of now figures suggest that the returning migrants have not received most of the free foodgrain ear-marked for them. There is no guarantee that they will remain eligible for the same benefits once they return to the cities, if they are outside of the PDS system.

Meanwhile there is no information about where the undistributed food grain in the states is being stored. Despite the monsoon setting in, there are no reports from local media about rotting food grain stocks either.