Free ration doorstep delivery by TMC govt is illegal, says Calcutta high court | Kolkata - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Free ration doorstep delivery by TMC govt is illegal, says Calcutta high court

Sep 29, 2022 01:26 AM IST

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee launched the Duare Ration (doorstep ration) scheme during the Covid-19 pandemic in December 2020 when people could not leave home because of the nationwide lockdown.

Kolkata: The delivery of free ration at the doorstep of consumers by the West Bengal government is illegal, the Calcutta high court ruled on Wednesday, stating that the “Duare Ration” scheme violates the National Food Security Act, 2013.

The division bench of justice Chitta Ranjan Dash and justice Aniruddha Roy passed the order on Wednesday after hearing an appeal by fair price shop dealers, who challenged a single bench order in June that said the Bengal government’s scheme was not illegal. (Representational photo)
The division bench of justice Chitta Ranjan Dash and justice Aniruddha Roy passed the order on Wednesday after hearing an appeal by fair price shop dealers, who challenged a single bench order in June that said the Bengal government’s scheme was not illegal. (Representational photo)

The order came shortly before the Centre announced that ration will be given free to eligible consumers across the country for three more months under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee launched the Duare Ration (doorstep ration) scheme during the Covid-19 pandemic in December 2020 when people could not leave home because of the nationwide lockdown. Ration shop owners were instructed to carry food materials distributed through the public distribution system to the homes of ration card holders.

The scheme was highlighted by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) during the assembly election campaign in 2021, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleging that free ration provided by the Centre was being misused by the ruling party for electoral gains. Allegations of systematic pilferage of foodgrain were also raised by the Opposition.

The division bench of justice Chitta Ranjan Dash and justice Aniruddha Roy passed the order on Wednesday after hearing an appeal by fair price shop dealers, who challenged a single bench order in June that said the Bengal government’s scheme was not illegal.

“The state government has transgressed the limit of delegation by obliging the fair price shop dealers to distribute the rations to the beneficiaries at their doorstep in absence of any authority to that effect in the enabling act, i.e, the National Food Security Act.” the division bench said, setting aside the order of the single bench.

The judges said that doorstep delivery is not sanctioned by the National Food Security Act, 2013, and it can be done only if the Act is amended.

Pursuing the spirit of the subsidized ration system introduced after Independence, the National Food Security Act was passed by the Parliament in 2013 with the objective to provide food and nutritional security at affordable prices to up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). The Act says eligible people can buy the food grains from fair price shops.

The TMC government, while retaining the other conditions of the NFS Act, said consumers will receive their quota of 5 kilos of food grain per person a month at home which the Central Act does not allow. Experts say distribution at doorstep cannot be monitored.

This is not the first time the judiciary has ruled against a scheme of this nature.

On May 19 this year, the Delhi high court, too, stopped the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s doorstep ration scheme. The division bench of the acting chief justice said the Delhi government was free to deliver ration at the doorstep as long as it was not using food grains provided by the Centre.

While Bengal government officials said they may move the Supreme Court challenging the order of the division bench, TMC leaders argued that Duare Ration is a welfare scheme.

“We have no idea why the court felt that it should be stopped,” said TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar.

“We welcome the judgment. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is providing free ration to people across India, the TMC government in Bengal is misusing the food grains to project Mamata Banerjee,” said Bengal BJP’s chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya.

Biswambhar Basu, general secretary of the All India Fair Price Shop Dealers’ Federation, welcomed the judgment.

“Hundreds of licensed shop owners were having a hard time implementing the scheme because they do not have the infrastructure,” he said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On