Farmers Movement Archive

Kejriwal says Centre stalling doorstep delivery of ration in Delhi, aiding mafia

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow the state government to launch doorstep ration delivery, claiming crowded ration shops could potentially turn into Covid-19 “super-spreader” zones in the city.“If pizza, burgers, smartphones and garments can be delivered to doorsteps of people, then why not ration?” said Kejriwal in a live-streamed video press briefing.His comments came a day after his office claimed that the Centre had again “blocked” the Delhi government’s ambitious doorstep delivery of ration scheme days ahead of its launch with lieutenant governor (L-G) Anil Baijal rejecting it. Baijal’s office, however, said he did not “reject” the scheme and only “advised for the constitutional scheme of things to be followed in letter and spirit”.Kejriwal, on Sunday, also highlighted instances of Centre’s ongoing conflicts with states such as West Bengal, Jharkhand and Maharashtra and even farmer groups over the three contentious farm laws to drive home his point.“In Delhi, the doorstep delivery of ration scheme was ready to be launched next week. All necessary tenders were completed, and arrangements were in place. It would have relieved millions of people in Delhi from crowd[ing] and long queues outside ration shops. For the last 75 years, the ration distribution system across the country has been looted by the ration mafia, leading to leakages in the system depriving poor people of the food grains they are entitled to. Doorstep delivery would have been a revolutionary initiative,” said Kejriwal, citing his own days as a social activist when he was allegedly attacked by people--he chose not to identify them--for his fight against the “ration mafia”.Delhi currently has around 1.78 million ration card holder households, which according to government records, translate to 7.2 million beneficiaries. Ration is currently distributed to them through a network of 2,000-odd fair price shops.“The proposal has been turned down citing no approval from the Central government. It is untrue. We have written to the Central government five times, seeking their approval in this regard. Going by the law, we do not need any approval from the Central government in this regard. State governments are capable of implementing such schemes. In March, you asked us to remove Mukhyamantri (chief minister) from the name of the scheme, we obliged. We followed all your conditions,” said Kejriwal.This is the second time this year that the 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.The conflict, however, is older than that. The scheme was first approved in March 2018 but could not be implemented because of numerous administrative issues, largely revolving around methodologies allowed under the National Food Security Act. It also led to a tussle between the elected government and the lieutenant governor, leading to a demonstration outside the L-G’s office by the top leaders in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The matter did not progress despite the Supreme Court’s July 2018 judgment that said the L-G is bound by the “aid and advice” of the elected government in Delhi, other than matters involving land, police and public order which comes under the Centre’s domain. Before the 2020 assembly polls, the AAP government gave the project a fresh push.Kejriwal at Sunday’s press briefing said that the government has now cited a case filed by ration shop owners that is being heard in the Delhi high court for the delay in approval. “When even the high court did not impose a stay on the scheme, why did you (Central government) impose a stay on it? If you choose to stand with the ration mafia, who will stand with poor people? Interestingly, the Central government is also a party in this case. However, the Central government’s counsel did not raise a single objection against the scheme in the (high) court,” said Kejriwal.He further said, “These are difficult times. People fear getting infected because of crowds outside ration shops. There are chances of a third wave of Covid-19 which is likely to affect more children. What if people get infected in queues outside ration shops? These ration shops are potential super-spreaders. The doorstep delivery scheme can stop that from happening.”Broadening his attack on the Centre, Kejriwal added, “The Central government is fighting Mamata didi in West Bengal, the government of Jharkhand, Lakshadweep, and now the people of Delhi. They are also fighting against farmers. Why is the central government fighting everyone? We are all Indians. We are not supposed to fight with one another. We are supposed to join hands and fight against Covid-19. People want to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi joining hands with Kejriwal in enabling delivery of ration to the doorstep of 7.2 million ration beneficiaries.”Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, which governs the public distribution system (PDS), the approximately 1.78 million lakh ration card households in Delhi are divided into three categories -- priority households (PR), priority state households (PRS), and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families. The beneficiaries under the PR and PRS categories are entitled to 5 kgs of food grains per month while AAY households receive 25 kgs wheat, 10 kgs rice and 1 kg sugar.Rebutting the Delhi government’s claim, the L-G’s office said on Saturday that “it [the Delhi government] has been advised again, like earlier on March 20, 2018, that since the proposal seeks to change the method of distribution, it would mandatorily require the prior approval of the Government of India as per Section 12 (2) (h) of the National Food Security Act 2013. Additionally, it was brought to the notice that a Writ Petition WP (C) 2037/2021 in the said matter has been filed by the Delhi Sarkari Ration Dealers Sangh. The said petition is scheduled to be heard on August 20, 2021”.

Hindustan Times

06-06-2021

Delhi