Free ration for cardless off to a rocky start

New Delhi: The Delhi government's much-touted ration scheme for the needy who do not possess a ration card kicked off to a rocky start this weekend with the primary complaint being raised that of not enough provisions for the population that does not have a ration card. In addition to teething problems with the scheme, many residents who tried to avail the free ration under this scheme were turned away for not having an Aadhaar card or a mobile number.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had last month announced that in addition to subsidised ration to beneficiaries during the lockdown period, his government would also provide free ration to those without a ration card as long as the lockdown lasted.

While the scheme took more than two weeks to be implemented on the ground in government schools on June 5, after rebukes from the Delhi High Court, many centres were still awaiting raw supplies leaving those queuing up outside the schools with nowhere left to go.

At one school in Chirag Delhi, residents lined up for their ration entitlement since 5 in the morning only to be told around 10:30 am that the supplies were yet to reach the school and distribution will begin from Monday.

At an MCD-run school in Kalyan Puri, it was found that the ration supplies had arrived on Saturday itself, with a notice put for residents saying distribution will begin only on Monday. And in yet another school in Dilshad Garden, which also saw long queues, while tokens for ration distribution were given out, the residents were told later in the day that they would get their supplies only on Monday.

The ground reports from the Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikaar Abhiyaan, an NGO working to get ration for the needy, also revealed that at many of these ration distribution centres across government schools, the number of beneficiaries far outnumbered the supplies available. In a Seemapuri school, the NGO claimed over 1,000 residents had lined up for their share of dry ration with authorities struggling with the demand.

In fact, even at centres where the distribution process went off smoothly, there were many residents who had to be turned away because the supplies for the day were exhausted. This was seen at a government school in Gokulpuri.

Moreover, at the ration distribution centre in Manglapuri, Dwarka also similar issues with distribution being stopped before noon, leaving hundreds of other beneficiaries to come back on Monday and try their luck, according to volunteers of the Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikaar Abhiyaan.

In addition to this, there were also several residents who were either asked to produce Aadhaar cards as valid identification and mobile numbers and without these, many were denied ration, the NGO claimed, adding that these residents had the right to self-identification in the absence of such documentation.