CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the State Government over allegations of deprivation of a large number of the poor of any form of relief because they did not have any ration card even as they were suffering miserable condition due to Covid-19 lockdown.
Advocate Dillip Kumar Ray, a former joint secretary of the High Court Bar Association had filed the petition seeking direction to the State Government for distribution of financial assistance and food grains to the non-ration card holders who were in distress due to the lockdown. The matter was taken up through video conferencing.
Taking note of his arguments, the division bench of Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice Biswajit Mohanty fixed April 26 for hearing on the matter. According to the petition, the State Government had in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and consequent lockdown sanctioned PDS quota for three months from April to June for the ration cardholders and allowance of Rs1,000 to each against their ration card. But, the poor who had lost their livelihood due to the lockdown had been deprived of any form relief because they were not rationed cardholders, the petition alleged.