Delhi cabinet clears doorstep delivery of ration

The Delhi government on Tuesday approved doorstep delivery of ration, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced, terming it a "revolutionary" move. Flour will be home delivered, while wheat will be available at the shops, he said. There are over 17 lakh ration card holders in Delhi, whereas the total number of beneficiaries is around 70 lakh, a government officer said.

The Delhi government on Tuesday approved doorstep delivery of ration, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced, terming it a "revolutionary" move. The scheme, 'Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana', was approved during a meeting of the Delhi cabinet, Kejriwal said.

The chief minister said the scheme is expected to be rolled out in the next six-seven months after completion of the tendering process and other necessities. "Under the scheme, wheat flour, rice and sugar packed hygienically in bags will be delivered to people's doorsteps. Taking ration from a PDS shop will be optional," Kejriwal said during a virtual press briefing.

In its previous stint, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was involved in a long-drawn tussle with the Lt Governor's office over its flagship scheme for doorstep delivery of ration. In March 2018, Lt Governor Anil Baijal had asked the Delhi government to refer its proposal for the scheme to the Centre with full details.

With the implementation of this initiative, the Centre's 'One Nation, One Ration Card' scheme will also come into effect in Delhi, Kejriwal said. Under the Delhi government's scheme, ration card holders may opt for delivery of ration at their doorsteps or visit fair price shops. Flour will be home delivered, while wheat will be available at the shops, he said.

There are over 17 lakh ration card holders in Delhi, whereas the total number of beneficiaries is around 70 lakh, a government officer said. The state governments, in cooperation with the Centre, distribute ration but there are different kinds of complaints like shortchanging, overpricing, delays and quality. Getting ration should be the right of the poor, Kejriwal said.

"In the five years since the AAP came to power, we have made several changes. Now, ration is available to the people," he said. Kejriwal said he and his deputy Manish Sisodia, as RTI activists before joining politics, fought for the rights of people to get ration and even faced attacks for it from the ration mafia.

"I and Sisodia used to fight for the rights of the poor in the slums through Parivartan organization. We made the maximum use of the RTI (Act) to help poor people get ration in a proper way," he said. He said like the scheme for doorstep delivery of services implemented by his government, the ration delivery scheme was also a "revolutionary" milestone in the field of governance. Kejriwal also remembered his aide Santosh Koli.

"I would also like to remember and pay tribute to Late Santosh Koli. When we were fighting the ration mafia in Sundarnagri she was repeatedly attacked by goons. But she never backed down. It is the sacrifice of brave activists like her that led to today's revolutionary reform in ration," he said in a tweet.