NEW DELHI: The Delhi cabinet on Tuesday renewed its approval for the home delivery of ration, which originally began in 2018 and has since been touted as an ambitious project.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he had a personal attachment with the project since it reminded him of his journey as a social activist.
The struggle for ‘Mukhyamantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana’ kicked off in 2018. Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal at that time had sought legal opinion on the scheme as it involved food distribution under the Central government’s PDS.
A huge uproar followed when even after the cabinet announcement, the scheme could not be implemented. The Kejriwal government has maintained that the scheme will plug gaps in the system.
The issue came to the boil when as a mark of protest, Kejriwal along with a few of his cabinet ministers sat inside the L-G house for a few days.
The Delhi government went to the Supreme Court to clarify on the distribution of powers made available in the national capital.
The apex court ruled that the LG is bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers in all matters related to the government.
The Delhi government has since been mentioning this scheme in its budget. In the 2020-21 budget, Finance Minister Manish Sisodia blamed the LG for the project not seeing the light of day.
“Hurdles were created for the scheme right from the level of officers to the Lieutenant Governor,” said Sisodia in his budget speech. On the other hand, the Delhi Sarkari Ration Dealers Sangh (DSRDS), a union of Fair Price Shop (FPS) owners, have opposed the idea.
There are 72 lakh ration card holders and more than 2,000 ration shops, which have played a crucial role during the Covid- 19-induced lockdown in food distribution.
“We are ready to move the court if the scheme is implemented. We will wait for the official order,” said Saurabh Gupta, secretary DSRDS. Kejriwal said the scheme will take at least six months to be implemented. Flour, sugar, rice and other items will be packed properly and delivered.
“The Delhi government will implement One Nation One Ration card system,” the chief minister said.