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Delhi govt again sends doorstep ration delivery file to LG
The move comes after the Delhi high court on September 27 gave conditional approval to the government to cut food grains supply to those Fixed Price Shops (FPS) where patrons have opted for doorstep delivery of ration, instead of collecting it from the shops.
The Delhi government has once again sent the file regarding doorstep delivery of ration scheme to Lieutenant Governor (LG) Anil Baijal for approval, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office said in a statement on Tuesday.
The move comes after the Delhi high court on September 27 gave conditional approval to the government to cut food grains supply to those Fixed Price Shops (FPS) where patrons have opted for doorstep delivery of ration, instead of collecting it from the shops.
In a note on the file sent to the LG, Kejriwal said he sincerely hoped that Baijal will review his decision to stop implementation of the doorstep delivery scheme, so that the orders of the high court can be implemented and doorstep delivery of ration can be processed for the beneficiaries opting it. “People are asking if pizza, burger, smartphone and clothes can be home delivered then why cannot the poor citizens of Delhi get their share of ration home delivered,” Kejriwal wrote in the note.
The chief minister also said that the scheme will help disband the ration mafia in the capital.
The LG office did not comment on the matter.
Taking note of the government’s submission that “an overwhelming majority has opted for supply of rations at their doorstep”, a high court bench of justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh said that authorities could supply only such quantities of ration to FPS that are required for those who want to collect it from shops, while the rest can be held back by the government for door-to-door delivery.
The Delhi government submitted to the court that beneficiaries of door-to-door scheme will also have the option of reverting to the old scheme of collecting their rations from the shops.
The court’s order came on a petition by the Delhi Sarkari Ration Dealers Sangh -- a body of the fixed price shop owners -- in which they had challenged the doorstep delivery of ration scheme. The high court will hear the matter now October 27.
The Delhi government’s doorstep delivery of ration scheme has been stalled due to differences between the Delhi government and the Centre. The scheme was to be launched on March 25, but the Union food and consumer affairs ministry wrote to the Delhi government on March 19 raising two objections— the use of the term “mukhyamantri (chief minister)” for a scheme involving the distribution of food grains allocated under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), and that any change in the delivery mechanism requires an amendment in NSFA that can be done only by Parliament.
The Delhi government, on March 24, passed a Cabinet decision to remove the name “Mukhyamantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojna” for the scheme and to implement doorstep delivery of ration as part of the existing NFS Act, 2013.
In June, the government sent the file back to LG, contending that its provisions are in accordance with the NFS Act, and that it will simultaneously implement the Centre’s “One Nation, One Ration Card” scheme. However, a decision is pending on the matter.
Nearly 7.2 million people in Delhi are eligible for subsidised food. They include 1.7 million ration card holders and nearly 3 million priority households. There are also other food-insecure categories identified by the Delhi government.
Free food grains for those without ration card
The Delhi cabinet on Tuesday approved the extension of its ongoing scheme to offer free food grains to non-ration card holders.
“A cabinet meeting was held today at the Delhi secretariat under the chairmanship of Kejriwal. In the meeting, it was proposed to provide free food grains to non-PDS beneficiaries, keeping in mind the needs of migrant workers and economically weaker people, till the continuation of the Covid-19 pandemic, which was approved by the Delhi Cabinet unanimously,” a government spokesperson said.
Currently, the distribution of food grains to non-ration card holders is done at 282 schools identified by the education department, three municipal corporations and the NDMC. But in the coming days, schools are likely to open in Delhi because of which an alternative arrangement is being planned.
“Registration for ration can be done by visiting the Delhi government’s Ration E-coupon Corona Relief Portal. During the distribution of ration, four civil defence personnel will be deployed at each distribution centre for security and compliance with the Covid-19 protocols. It is estimated that around 100 distribution centres will be required. One centre per circle with the provision of 30 additional centres will be opened in areas where migrant labourers live. These additional 30 centres will be made operational as per the demand of the people,” the government said in a statement.
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