No Doorstep Ration For Delhi'ites, Centre Stops AAP Scheme
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2021-06-06 15:00:17
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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
The Centre and the AAP government in Delhi are at it again. While the Delhi government has proposed a scheme of delivering PDS ration at the doorsteps of the people, it has been rejected by the Lieutenant Governor as prior permission was not sought. The AAP has cried foul, saying that the government is not allowing it to carry out schemes which benefit the people. The BJP on the other hand has said that the scheme was a scam and actual beneficiaries would not have received the ration which would have been sold in the open market. It has also said that the Delhi government can carry out the scheme by procuring grain at notified rates but cannot change the PDS scheme that is being implemented in the same manner across India.
While there is no denying that making PDS ration available to the people at their doorstep is a good idea, especially in these difficult times, it also needs to be considered whether the Delhi government can unilaterally change a Central scheme, especially one that involves subsidized food grain that can be sold at enormous profit in the open market. If something goes wrong at the point of sale (authorized PDS ration shops) the licensee can be held accountable. Who will be accountable for diversion in case of door delivery? There are other questions too that need to be answered and ideally, the Delhi government should have taken permission from the Centre before trying to implement the scheme.
But the fact is that other states are also on the verge of implementing similar schemes. West Bengal, for one, has already announced a Duare Ration (doorstep ration) scheme. Obviously it will also provide PDS ration to beneficiaries at their doorstep. The Centre has managed to scuttle the Delhi scheme as the Lieutenant Governor has control over the government there. The rules in Delhi are different. But how will the Centre stop the other states? One thinks that another ugly confrontation between the Centre and some states is going to take place soon.
