Probe denial of ration cards to 90,000 poor people: Delhi L-G; BJP welcomes move, AAP hits back

Welcoming Saxena’s directive to probe the allegations Saturday, Gupta accused the AAP authorities of exploiting marginalised communities. “The authorities has snatched nutrient from the mouths of the mediocre and exploited Dalits,” Gupta said.

The contented centres astir the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) to proviso indispensable ration to the poorest families successful the society, Gupta said. Under the scheme, 1,56,800 families successful Delhi were entitled to person 35 kilograms of ration each month, based connected the 2011 census. This included 21 kg of wheat, 14 kg of rice, and 1 kg of sugar.

“At the clip erstwhile the AAP came to powerfulness successful 2015, 76,458 mediocre families were receiving ration nether the scheme. However, aft astir a decade, this fig has dropped to 66,532. Around 10,000 less families are receiving ration, portion the fig should person accrued implicit the past decade. Of the 1,56,800 families eligible, 90,000 individuals person not been issued ration cards, and the Kejriwal authorities has failed to bash so,” Gupta alleged.

He further claimed that successful July 2019, the Delhi government’s Food and Civil Supplies Department had prepared a database of individuals eligible for ration cards and submitted it to section minister, Imran Hussain, for approval. However, Gupta alleged that Hussain halted the process, instructing that the issuance of ration cards beryllium stopped.

He criticised the medication for pursuing an “anti-poor agenda” by halting the organisation of ration.

The AAP accused Gupta of having “intentionally misrepresented directions from the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies”. “At 1 point, considering the involvement of AAY families and applicants and to forestall the misuse by vested interests, the Minister had directed the F&S (Food and Civil Supplies) section to support the mentation of ration cards for applicants successful abeyance for immoderate time. However, connected reappraisal of the policy, Minister F&S approved preparing AAY ration cards connected precedence done a abstracted queue, and this was enactment successful spot by the F&S section via circular dated July 27, 2020. Since then, a abstracted module successful the F&S section has been successful beingness for preparing AAY ration cards connected precedence done a abstracted queue,” said AAP.