Clear ration scheme in national interest: Kejriwal writes to PM
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government is ready to make whatever changes the central government will suggest in its long-delayed doorstep ration delivery scheme, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to approve the project in “national interest”.
He said his government only aims to provide ration to the poor and does not want any credit.
“The centre through the media has also said that the Delhi government will charge money from the poor for doorstep delivery of ration. This is absolutely wrong, sir. We shall not charge a single penny from the beneficiaries for this scheme… I have just one aim — to provide ration to the poor at any cost. You please allow me to implement this scheme. All credit will be yours. I myself will tell the whole world that this scheme has been rolled out by the Prime Minister of India… Till date, I have supported you in all your decisions of national interest… You also support us in this scheme of national interest, sir,” Kejriwal wrote.
In his letter, Kejriwal said all governments, for the past 75 years, have forced the poor of the country to queue up for ration.
“Do not make them stand in queues for ration for another 75 years, sir. If that happens, they will neither forgive you nor me,” he wrote.
“Delhi was supposed to start delivering ration to all its beneficiaries at their homes from next week. Under this scheme, the poor would not have to go from pillar to post for ration. Instead, the government would have hygienically packed the ration and delivered it to the ration card holder’s house. All preparations were done. The tender was also done. The scheme was supposed to start from next week and suddenly it was stopped two days ago. People are asking why did you do this?” Kejriwal wrote.
On Saturday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal “rejected” the scheme citing lack of Centre’s approval and a pending case in the high court. The L-G office, however, said Baijal did not “reject” the scheme and only “advised for the constitutional scheme of things to be followed in letter and spirit”.
This was the second time this year that the scheme was 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 consumers affairs ministry wrote to the Delhi government on March 19 raising two objections to the scheme — 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 in the NFSA requires an amendment that can be done only by Parliament.
In his letter to the PM, Kejriwal said despite not being legally bound to do so, the Delhi government sought Centre’s approval for the scheme five times to avoid any dispute but the Union government did not raise any objection.
“Delhi food minister Imran Hussain sent letters on February 4, 2019, March 4, 2020, June 17, 2020, November 19, 2020, and December 3, 2020, informing the central government that the Delhi government was going to implement the Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojna. No objection was raised on this from your side even once then,” he said.
Kejriwal said the Delhi government even dropped “Mukhya Mantri” (chief minister) from the name of the scheme. “Our aim was not to glorify our name. We agreed to your objection and changed the name of the scheme. We agreed to all your objections and made the necessary changes in the policy. Even after all this you are telling us that we did not take your approval? People are asking if pizza, burgers, smartphones and clothes can be home delivered, why can’t ration be delivered at the doorsteps of the poor?”
“The central government has also reasoned that the scheme has been rejected because owners of ration shops have moved the court asking for a stay on the home delivery scheme. Did you reject the scheme for this? When the high court refused to give them (ration shop owners) a stay, how can the central government give them a stay? If the central government stands with the ration mafia, then who will stand with the country’s poor, sir?” Kejriwal wrote.
The Union food ministry said the Delhi government can distribute ration the way they want, but it should not tinker with the national food security act (NFSA). “They can do so under any other scheme. The government of India will provide additional ration for the same. As per notified rates. Where is the issue? The Delhi government wants to tinker with the nationally administered programme at the cost of Delhi consumers by charging the cost of milling. etc from them. The government of India had only informed them about the rule position,” the ministry said.
Kejriwal said if the Delhi government starts a separate scheme, it will lead to creation of two separate ration distribution mechanisms in the national capital -- one by the Centre, other by the state government.
“The central government is also saying that the Delhi government can run its own ration scheme separately, without tinkering with the existing national scheme of the Centre. Sir, since when did we become different? Sir, since when did the central government and the Delhi government become different? Since when did your and our scheme become different? Sir, everything is of this country and everything is for its citizens. Now, will there be two schemes on the same issue - one of the central government and another of the Delhi government. You mean the central government will spend ₹2,000 crore to distribute ration in Delhi and the Delhi government will spend another ₹2,000 crore for the same thing? Is this practical, sir?… The responsibility of stopping the theft of ration is yours as much as it is mine,” Kejriwal wrote.
Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said the Delhi government should implement the One Nation One Ration Card scheme instead of pushing its own ration plan. “Kejriwal talks of his own CM ration scheme, but he has done nothing to implement the Centre’s One Nation One Ration Card scheme due to which thousands of workers have not got ration.”