New Delhi: Days after introducing a Bill in the parliament that seeks to empower the Lieutenant Governor vis-à-vis the elected government of Delhi, the central government has now stalled the Arvind Kejriwal government’s proposed doorstep delivery of ration scheme – the Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana (MMGGRY) – that was scheduled to be launched on March 25.The Centre has objected to the scheme being named after the chief minister and that the National Food Security Act (NFSA) does not allow subsidised foodgrains being provided by it to be supplied under any scheme or name other than NFSA.The notification issued by the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs said, “the use of new nomenclature or scheme name for distribution of NFSA foodgrains by the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi is not permissible.”It stated that the central government department would have “no objection if a separate scheme is made by the UT government without mixing the elements of the NFSA foodgrains”.‘Centre trying to embarrass AAP government’Following the letter from the Centre, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with Food and Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain and senior department officials to discuss the situation.Later, AAP national spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj charged that the Centre was aware of all the attributes of the scheme and was only trying to thwart it to “embarrass the government and put hurdles in its work”.Also read: Food Rights Activists Raise Concerns Over Opacity Around Delhi’s Doorstep Ration SchemeHe said the doorstop delivery scheme was a flagship programme of AAP government on which it was working for the past three to four years. “We know that ration shops open hardly a couple of times a month, witness long queues and fights, and often people have to return home on not getting the supplies,” he said.Bharadwaj said this was a shortcoming of the public distribution scheme witnessed all over the country. “Since Kejriwal worked on PDS in Seemapuri for many years as a social activist, he also knew that a major reason for corruption was the low 35 paise per kg commission of the dealers. So in Delhi, the commission was increased to Rs 2 per kg.”Representational image. Photo: Reuters‘Scheme intended to end corruption, provide rations with respect’Despite that, as problems with ration supply persisted, the AAP spokesperson said, it was decided to take to doorstep delivery of rations to stop issues related to less weight of grain, siphoning off of stocks and wastage of time in queues. “We wanted to provide rations to people with all respect.”Bharadwaj said after the scheme was announced in February this year, the chief minister announced its launch from Seemapuri on March 25 and several meetings were held with ministry officials on the issue. “The scheme would have ended ‘dalalon ki dalali’ (commission of commission agents) and corruption running into thousands of crores. We, therefore, appeal to the Centre to not issue such an anti-people diktat,” he said.Noting that the scheme would have provided home delivery like Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon or Big Basket do, he said the Delhi government is not asking for any money for delivery or packaging and neither was it seeking any extra grains from the Centre. “But the Centre says it can only be changed by Parliament, which it has asked to reduce powers of the elected government in Delhi,” he remarked.Noting that the Delhi government “will take right administrative decision”, Bharadwaj also noted that the Centre is now saying that Delhi should come out with its own scheme. “This is just a delaying tactic. They are already sitting on 17 proposals passed earlier in Delhi Assembly.”Scheme was notified by Delhi govt in February 2021The MMGGRY scheme was notified by the Delhi government in February 20 this year. While doing so, the Delhi government had specified that the scheme would be optional and provide a grievance redressal mechanism.Also read: ‘No Time for Experimentation’: Food Rights Activists on Delhi’s Doorstep Ration Delivery SchemeThe notification issued by the Delhi government had stated, “There will be provision of a grievance management system to enable the beneficiaries of Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana (MMGGRY) to raise their grievances related to the scheme. A call centre for beneficiaries is also envisaged under the scheme. The direct-to-home delivery (DHD) agency shall also carry out beneficiary reach out programmes from time to time and provide various scheme-related information to the beneficiaries.”The notification also stated that “the scheme will be optional, and an option shall be taken from the beneficiaries of existing PDS scheme in Delhi, as to whether they want to enrol under MMGGRY or continue under existing PDS. Those who are not opting for MMGGRY shall continue to get their ration as per existing mechanism and price.”Scheme was to cover 17.54 lakh ration card holdersElaborating on how the scheme would be implemented, the notification had pointed out that the Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd (DSCSC) and the Delhi Consumer’s Co-operative Wholesale Store Ltd (DCCWS) will be responsible for the implementation of the scheme with the latter engaging agencies for the delivery of ration.“The DHD agency shall notify the beneficiary in advance through SMS. The packed ration shall be handed over to the beneficiary only after his/her successful biometric authentication using the e-POS device,” it said.As of now, there are around 17.54 lakh ration card holders in Delhi who are covered under the National Food Security Act, 2013. Of them, 15.12 lakh are priority households (PR), 1.73 lakh priority state households (PRS), and 68,468 are Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families. The PR and PRS category card holders are entitled to 5 kg foodgrain per month while AAY families get 25 kg wheat, 10 kg rice and 1 kg sugar.Centre bothered about nomenclature, not real flawsIncidentally, while objecting to the nomenclature being used for the scheme by the Delhi Government, the ministry notification did not mention any of the other concerns that have been raised around the scheme by food rights campaigners.Food rights campaigner Anjali Bhardwaj of Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan (DRRAA) had questioned the secrecy and opaqueness around the roll-out of the scheme and asked why its details were not discussed with the stakeholders.Also read: Buoyed by SC Ruling, Kejriwal to Implement Doorstep Ration Delivery SchemeAlso, she said, there was no information at present among people about how much wheat flour they would get in place of wheat. At the PDS shops, she said, the consumers sometimes also make the shopkeeper open up the sacks and show the quality of the grains. “So practical details also need to be looked into.”Representative image. Photo: Reuters/Rupak De ChowdhuriEarlier, food rights campaigners had in January this year also written to Kejriwal and asked why despite Delhi high court’s orders, the Delhi government has not promulgated rules for grievance redress under the NFSA; not set up an independent State Food Commission and neither carried out any social audits.These issues have in the past also been brought to the notice of the Centre, which has now objected to the scheme but only for its nomenclature.War of wordsMeanwhile, the Centre’s objection has triggered a war of words between AAP and BJP leaders. The Aam Aadmi Party asked why the Centre did not want the Delhi government to implement a scheme that ensures the supply of rations at the doorstep of the poor.गरीब के घर राशन पहुंचे, इस पर केंद्र को क्या आपत्ति: AAPSwiggy, Zomato की तर्ज पर गरीबों को घर बैठे राशन मिलने की थी योजना।राशन की डोर स्टेप डिलीवरी पर ब्रेक का फरमान वापस ले केंद्र- @Saurabh_MLAgk pic.twitter.com/Yjg3iWLrk6— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 20, 2021Rajya Sabha MP and senior leader of AAP, Sanjay Singh, said the objections of the Centre showed that it did not want corruption to end in the public distribution system. “We only brought a scheme to eliminate corruption and to provide people rations at their homes. But the Centre is blocking it,” he said.Senior BJP leader and New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi, however, countered this argument saying people should look beyond the optics as Aam Aadmi Party often resorts to theatrics to mask the real issue. She said the objection was regarding the Delhi government using the Centre’s National Food Security Act to promote itself. “They were also deficient in supplying people with the rations which the Centre supplied to Delhi during the Covid pandemic and this is on record in an affidavit filed in the court,” she told a news channel.
