New Delhi: The Right to Food Campaign (RFC) has demanded the government immediately stop the E-KYC process of ration cards.In a statement issued on Wednesday, August 7, RFC said the government should instead focus on giving ration cards to eight crore migrant/unorganised sector workers as directed by the Supreme Court. The apex court had, in March this year, ordered states and Union Territories to provide ration cards to about eight crore migrant workers registered in the eShram portal but not covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) within two months.The RFC statement says it is receiving reports of the “immense distress and problems” being faced by people across the country on account of the government undertaking E-KYC verification of all 81 crore people who have ration cards and are entitled to receive foodgrains under the NFSA.From different states, the Campaign is receiving reports of people rushing back to their villages because they are being informed that failure to get EKYC of the whole family will result in the stoppage of ration, the statement adds.“At a time when crores of people have been left out of the food security net on account of the government’s failure to carry out the census of 2021, it is inexplicable that the energy and resources of the government are being spent on creating further hindrance for existing ration cardholders rather than issuing ration cards to all those excluded from the NFSA,” the statement adds.Ration card holders say that they have been receiving SMSes on their phones asking them to go to the nearest ration shop with their family members to comply with the E-KYC requirements through authentication via the POS (point of sale) machines. Ration shop owners have also been telling cardholders that failure to get E-KYC would result in denial of food grains.“Rolling out an authentication exercise in this manner, without providing clear and official information to people about the framework within which the EKYC is being done, the need for EKYC, the timeline and consequences is creating intense distress and anxiety among people. The requirement for the whole family to be present at the ration shop has resulted in the most marginalised sections including migrant workers, elderly and those with disabilities being the most affected and likely to be left out of the EKYC,” the statement adds.