Centre has stopped doorstep delivery of ration scheme: AAP

New Delhi, March 19

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday claimed that the Centre has asked the Delhi Government to withdraw its doorstep delivery scheme for food grains.

AAP's chief spokesperson Saurav Bharadwaj addressing a press conference at the party office said the Centre has put the AAP government's flagship scheme on hold and has asked it to withdraw the scheme.

Bharadwaj questioned the timing of stopping the scheme just a few days before it was scheduled to be launched. According to the Delhi government's earlier announcement, the doorstep delivery scheme was scheduled to start from March 25. "The Central Government must withdraw this direction and allow the Delhi government to launch the scheme. The AAP government has not taken a single penny for this scheme from the Centre and if such a scheme prevents rampant corruption, the Centre shouldn't take umbrage," Bharadwaj added.

The doorstep delivery of ration was a flagship scheme of the AAP government which was announced by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Republic Day this year.

"After AAP came to power in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal decided to take some steps in the food grains distribution system. Despite the increase in the commission of the ration dealers, there were several complaints from the poor that in Delhi the ration shops do not open regularly, which leads to the poor suffering a lot. To get just five kg of ration a poor person needs to stand in the queue from the morning to evening. The Delhi government worked on this policy for over three years and decided to deliver ration at homes."

He asserted that the scheme has been prepared to ensure that beneficiaries of the government's subsidised food grains get ration at their doorstep. The scheme was ready and it was to be launched on March 25 at Seemapuri's JJ cluster.

He said, "We have less than a week to launch this scheme and now the Central Government has written to the Delhi government asking to stop this scheme. I don't know why the Centre has a problem if the corruption in the ration distribution system stops."

The scheme announced under the 'Mukhya Mantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojna' (MMGGRY) under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) of the National Food Security Act, 2013, was notified by the government on February 20. The MMGGRY involves the delivery of packed wheat flour and rice to beneficiaries at their doorsteps.

Kejriwal had mentioned in his Republic Day address that all beneficiaries in the Capital who have a ration card can avail the benefits of the scheme. The scheme will be optional and existing TPDS beneficiaries will have to specify to enrol under it. Delhi has nearly 17 lakh PDS beneficiaries. — IANS

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