Kejriwal announces scheme to deliver ration at doorstep of card holders in 6-7 months

With the doorstep delivery scheme, the Delhi government will also implement the central government’s ‘one nation, one ration card policy’, which makes the whole ration system more portable, the Delhi CM said.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced the Mukhyamantri Ghar-Ghar Ration Yojana, a scheme in which the Aam AadmI Party (AAP) government aims to provide ration at the doorstep of 1.85 million households by next six-seven months.

The Delhi government already delivers nearly 70 services at the doorstep of citizens under the doorstep delivery schemes.

“The Delhi cabinet today (Tuesday) cleared the scheme on doorstep delivery of ration. It will be named Mukhyamantri Ghar-Ghar Ration Yojana. Under the scheme, ration will be processed, packed and delivered at doorstep of beneficiaries. The scheme will be fully implemented in 6-7 months. This is the amount of time that is needed for floating tenders and engaging agencies which would help in implementation,” said Kejriwal in a video press briefing.

With the doorstep delivery scheme, the Delhi government will also implement the central government’s ‘one nation, one ration card policy’, which makes the whole ration system more portable, the Delhi CM said. The ‘one nation, one ration card’ policy would benefit beneficiaries who are registered in Delhi to avail ration in other states and vice-versa.

The Delhi government already delivers nearly 70 services at the doorstep of citizens under the doorstep delivery schemes. People could just call on the centralised number -- 1076-- and place a service request. The services include the issuance of certificates (caste, income, domicile, delayed birth order; duplicate registration certificate of the vehicle, transfer of vehicle ownership), and new water and sewer connections, among others.

The chief minister said that ration beneficiaries will have to choose between doorstep delivery and the traditional way of collecting ration from the designated fair price shops. “Those who opt for the doorstep scheme will get processed flour instead of wheat,” said Kejriwal, calling the scheme a “revolutionary step” in governance.

As per government records, Delhi currently has around 7.5 million ration beneficiaries and 2,028 designated fair price shops.

The Delhi government on Monday directed all fair price shops in the city to update their contact and Aadhaar details for the doorstep ration delivery scheme. The order, which HT has seen, further said the government also plans to re-introduce the electronic point of sales (e-PoS) system for ration distribution.

As per the plan, e-PoS(electronic point of sale) devices will be given to all the 2,028 fair price shops in Delhi and also to agents who would deliver the monthly ration at the doorstep of card holders. The process includes entering the ration card number into the device, followed by the biometrics (fingerprint scanning) of the beneficiary or entering the Aadhaar card details. Once the details are matched with the database, the ration will be disbursed to the beneficiary.

The Delhi government had stopped using e-PoS since April 2018, in the wake of a large number of complaints concerning inconvenience in availing ration owing to technical glitches that also entailed a tussle between the elected government and top bureaucrats in the food department. “By now, we have got all e-PoS machines checked and the technical glitches have been resolved. Delhi has 100% Aadhaar seeding of its ration card holder. We can start using e-PoS again,” said a senior government official who did not wish to be identified.

The Delhi government was supposed to launch the doorstep ration delivery scheme in March 2018 but could not do so because of some administrative issues. “Later, in 2019, the government initiated a pilot project off doorstep delivery in around five (out of 272) municipal wards in the city and some glitches were identified. All issues have been resolved now and we are in a position to launch the scheme at the earliest,” said a senior official in the food and civil supplies department who did not wish to be identified.

HT had reported in May about Kejriwal directing the food and civil supplies department to restart the Delhi government’s flagship project of doorstep delivery of ration using electronic point of sale (e-PoS) devices. The direction came after Union food minister Ram Vilas Paswan wrote to Kejriwal, urging Delhi to implement the Centre’s ‘one nation, one ration’ card policy.

Paswan’s letter came at a time when the Capital witnessed large-scale reverse migration of the labour force in the light of the lockdown that was imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19.

“A scheme on doorstep delivery of ration can help the government tackle mismanagement and irregularities in the public distribution system, which ultimately lead to people being deprived of their basic rights -- subsidised food items in this case. The scheme, if implemented effectively, can also put checks on potential hoarding. From the point of view of the beneficiaries, it provides a convenient option for availing ration, especially if the card holders are elderly people, pregnant women, persons with disability, etc. However, the government should consider involving civil rights groups in the process, which will help in making it more inclusive and efficient,” said Sunil Kumar Aledia, executive director at the Centre for Holistic Development.