Skip to main content

Delhi's 97% ration shops 'not distributing' rations, 42% closed during working hours

Counterview Desk

Ponting towards "alarming state of food insecurity in Delhi", the civil rights group, Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyaan (DRRAA) has regretted that ration distribution for people without ration cards has stopped in most areas and public distribution system (PDS) grain distribution is yet to be started in most places for the month of July.
Based on visits to ration shops and designated ration distribution centres, a DRRAA note says that lakhs of people who need rations are left out of the food security system due to pre-determined state-wise quotas and paucity of necessary documents (Aadhaar, electricity bill, proof of residence), even though last year nearly 70 lakh people had registered and received ration under the e-coupon scheme of the Delhi government.

Text:

In the last week of May 2021, the Delhi government formulated a policy to provide rations to people without ration cards. The policy announced, following the Supreme Court order dated May 13, 2021 in the migrant workers case, provided for 5 kgs of grain per person as a one-time relief and had a predetermined cap of 20 lakh people.
The Delhi High Court in the DRRAA matter in its order dated June 25, 2021, observed that having a cap of 20 lakh persons is “is a substantial underestimate” and “is an exercise in arbitrariness since that number appears to be improvised”. It further noted that it was “not sure if styling the food relief exercise as a ‘one-time measure’ would sub-serve the purpose of the policy”.
The court after being reassured by the Delhi counsel that the cabinet is seized of the matter and will be reviewing the policy decision soon, exercising judicial restraint, refrained from giving directions. The order notes, “We accordingly await the decision of the Delhi Cabinet appropriately revising the number of Non-PDS beneficiaries under the scheme in question”.

Public Distribution System

In Delhi, 72.7 lakh persons or 37% of the population of Delhi has been issued ration cards under the Public Distribution System (PDS) of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and avail foodgrains through ration shops. To cope with economic distress caused due to COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns, the Central government, under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY), enhanced ration entitlement for cardholders by announcing an extra 5 kg foodgrains free of cost, per person for the period May to November 2021.
The ration entitlements to be disbursed in the month of July 2021 in Delhi are 10 kgs of foodgrains per person free of cost on Priority category ration cards and for Antyodaya (AAY) category ration cards, the entitlement is 35 kgs foodgrains per card along with an additional quota of 5 kgs foodgrains per person under PMGKAY, all of which is free of cost.
As per the policy, 282 schools have been designated as distribution centres for the NON PDS ration where people can walk in and register and avail grains. Between July 12 and 17, 2021, volunteers of DRRAA visited 221 designated schools all over Delhi and found that 92% exhausted the ration stock and were therefore not supplying ration to people.
Most had run out of stock several days ago and the stock had not been replenished since then, forcing the schools to turn away people who had reached there seeking rations. During the hearing in the Delhi HC, the government had assured the court it will revise the scheme in light of the court objecting to the cap of 20 lakh persons and it being a one time measure only. However, till date no decision regarding revision of non-PDS scheme is available in the public domain.
DRRAA visited 221 designated schools all over Delhi and found that 92% exhausted the ration stock and were therefore not supplying ration
Delhi has a network of 2,000 ration shops. On July 20, 2021, volunteers visited 37 shops located in Chirag Delhi, Masjid Moth, Greater Kailash, Sant Nagar, Kusumpur Pahari, Ber Sarai, Ekta Vihar, Sector 7 RK Puram, Munirka, Hauz Rani, Kalu Sarai, Begumpur, Adchini, Yusuf Sarai, Harkesh Nagar and Govindpuri. 97% ration shops visited were found to be not distributing rations (36 out of 37 shops).
Of these, 42% were found to be closed during working hours (15 out of 36 shops) while the rest were open but not distributing grains as either they were yet to receive the stock or had not been authorised by the government to start distribution. Only 1 shop was open and distributing grains to ration cardholders.

Conclusion

It is a matter of grave concern that during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite people bearing the brunt of the twin crisis of health and financial distress, the government is failing to ensure basic food security for people. Providing rations to people who do not possess ration cards and timely disbursal of foodgrains under PDS are key to ensuring food security and preventing hunger and starvation.
However, the scheme for giving rations to migrant workers, daily wagers, domestic workers, rickshaw pullers etc. who do not possess ration cards has virtually wound up as the government is not replenishing the ration stock in designated distribution centres. Further, despite giving assurances to judges in the Delhi HC, the government has not revised the scheme to remove the cap of 20 lakh and address the concern of the court that distribution of ration as a one-time relief would be inadequate to deal with the level of distress.
It is important to note that the Supreme Court in its judgment in the migrant workers case has directed all state governments to put in place a mechanism to provide dry rations to migrant workers who do not possess ration cards by formulating and implementing a scheme by July 31. Till date, the government has not announced any such scheme.
Lakhs of people who need rations are left out of the food security system due to pre-determined state-wise quotas and paucity of necessary documents (Aadhaar, electricity bill, proof of residence). Last year, nearly 70 lakh people had registered and received ration under the e-coupon scheme of the Delhi government in which ration was provided to those without cards.
Therefore, it is crucial that the government immediately revise the non-PDS Scheme to do away with the cap of 20 lakh, restock the schools and provide ration on a monthly basis till the pandemic continues.
The PDS is a lifeline for people during this time of crisis. It is extremely concerning that we are now nearly in the third week of July and ration distribution for the month has not started in most ration shops in Delhi. Many people have lost their livelihood and are dependent on foodgrains provided under the PDS to feed themselves and their families.
The delay in distribution of rations is resulting in people being forced to purchase foodgrains from the open market at non-subsidized prices. At a time when people are dealing with an unprecedented health crisis and job loss, timely distribution of ration is critical to ensure food security.

Comments

TRENDING

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Central pollution watchdog sees red in Union ministry labelling waste to energy green

By Chythenyen Devika Kulasekaran*  “Destructors”, “incinerators” and “waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration” all mean the same thing – indiscriminate burning of garbage! Having a history of about one and a half centuries, WTE incinerators have seen several reboots over the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. 

First-of-its-kind? 'Eco-friendly, low cost' sewage treatment system installed in Gujarat

Counterview Desk Following the installation of the Unconventional Decentralized Multi-Stage Reactor (UDMSR) for sewage treatment, a note on what is claimed to be the  first-of-its-kind technology said, the treated sewage from this system “can be directly utilized for agricultural purposes”, even as proving to be a “saviour in the times of water crisis.”

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Indo-Bangla border: Farmers facing 'illegal obstacles' in harvesting, transporting yields

  Counterview Desk  In a representation to the chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, human rights defender Kirity Roy, who is secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), has said that Border Security Force (BSF) personnel are creating "illegal obstacles" for farmers seeking to harvest their ripened yields and transport them to the market in village Jhaukuthi of Cooch Behar district.

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

Wasteland, a colonial legacy, being used to 'give away' vast tracts to Ratnagiri refinery

By Fouziya Tehzeeb* William D’Souza, a 55-year old farmer from Kuthethur, Mangalore, was busy mixing cattle feed when we arrived at his doorsteps. Around 25 km from the bustling city of Mangalore, Kuthethur is a lush green village with thick vegetation. On the way to William’s house the idyllic view gets blocked by the flares and smoke arising from the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL).

CAA disregards India's inclusive plural ethos, 'betrays' ideals of freedom struggle: PUCL

Counterview Desk    "Outraged" at the move of the Central government to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA 2019) weeks before the election, the top rights group, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has demanded that the law be repealed. 

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Invincible, Modi 'taller' than BJP, RSS: An opportunity for Congress beyond 2024?

By NS Venkataraman*  With the announcement of poll schedule for the 2024 parliamentary election, there is palpable excitement and expectation amongst the countrymen  about the shape of things to happen in India after the  results of the election would be announced. There is also speculation abroad about the future course of developments in India.