Centre ‘rejects’ ration plan, Delhi says ‘didn’t seek nod’
THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS YEAR THAT THE SCHEME HAS BEEN STALLED OVER DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE DELHI GOVT AND THE CENTRE
NEW DELHI: Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said the Union government has rejected the Delhi government’s ambitious doorstep delivery of ration scheme even though no proposal was sent for the Centre’s approval in the first place, and described some of the reasons given in the letter as “frivolous”.
The two sides have been locked in a standoff since March, and the matter has come to a head, with lieutenant governor Anil Baijal raising objections against the plan in recent weeks.
Later, chief minister Kejriwal tweeted: “They gave such reasons to reject our ration scheme: How will the ration be delivered if a beneficiary lives on the third floor; how will the delivery van go in narrow lanes -- India of the 21st century has reached the moon, and you’re stuck on the third floor.” In its letter, the Union food ministry said the proposal doesn’t meet the statutory and functional requirement of the National Food Security Act, and therefore, “can’t be accepted”. This is the third time this year that the scheme has been stalled.
NEW DELHI: Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said the Union government has rejected the Delhi government’s ambitious doorstep delivery of ration scheme even though no proposal was sent for the Centre’s approval in the first place, and described some of the reasons given in the letter as “frivolous”.
The two sides have been locked in a standoff over the scheme since March, and the matter has come to a head in recent weeks with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal raising objections against the plan, and Delhi chief minister sending back the file to the L-G with clarifications and counter objections.
“Yesterday (Tuesday), Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a letter to the Delhi government through the Union food and consumer affairs ministry saying that our doorstep delivery of ration scheme has been rejected. The excuses given for rejecting the scheme are so frivolous and funny that it reflects how the PM wants to pick up a fight with someone or the other,” Sisodia on Wednesday said.
“They are saying that this scheme has been rejected, but we never sent it to them for approval. So, how can they reject it?” he added. Later, Kejriwal tweeted some of the reasons cited by the central government in its letter. “The Centre’s letter has come. It is very disappointing. They gave such reasons to reject our ration scheme: what if the van carrying the ration for delivery gets stuck in traffic or breaks down on its way; how will the ration be delivered if a beneficiary lives on the third floor; how will the delivery van go in narrow lanes - India of the 21st century has reached the moon, and you’re stuck on the third floor,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.
“It is not right to fight with everyone every time - Twitter, Lakshadweep, Mamata didi, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Delhi government, farmers, traders, and even with the chief secretary of West Bengal. How will the country progress if you keep fighting so much and keep doing politics all the time? The doorstep delivery of ration scheme is in national interest. Do not fight over this,” he added.
In its letter to the commissioner of Delhi’s food and supplies department, the Union ministry wrote that the proposal doesn’t meet the statutory and functional requirement of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), and therefore, “can’t be accepted”.
Flagging “concerns and shortcomings” regarding the scheme, the ministry said that the Delhi government has not mentioned the prices of ration under home delivery. It asked whether people who opt for home delivery can later revert to taking ration from the fair price shops.
The Centre’s letter, written by DK Gupta, director (public distribution), stated that “every beneficiary shall expect the vehicle in front of their door” and if that is not done, “there may be issues of favouritism and nepotism”.
“Free movement of the delivery vehicle may be hindered. Moreover, doorstep delivery may not be successful in multi-storey buildings with multiple floors. Thus, these constraints may defeat the whole purpose of the ‘home delivery’ and in fact, the beneficiaries may actually be called to come till the van/vehicle and collect their packets,” read the letter, a copy of which was seen by HT.
Sisodia said that the Centre could have simply asked the Delhi government about the prices involved in this scheme. “We would have told them... Distribution of ration under the NFSA is the preparative of the state government. We assure the Centre that the cost to the beneficiary for availing the scheme will not be more than the rates prescribed by it,” he said.
Delhi currently has around 1.78 million ration card-holder households, which according to government records, translate to 7.2 million beneficiaries.
Delhi’s BJP chief Adesh Gupta said the government that is unable to deliver ration at fair price shops and distribution centres on time is talking about doorstep delivery of ration. “They have done little to bring transparency in the distribution system. The e-POS system is yet to be implemented,” he said.