NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has asked the legal aid authority to conduct a recce to find out whether there is any need to continue with hunger relief camps, providing dry ration to the non-PDS beneficiaries and cooked food for people residing in DUSIB night shelters.

A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad asked the Delhi Legal Service Authority (DLSA) to examine an application filed by an NGO as also the replies of the Delhi government and conduct an independent recce before filing a status report, keeping in mind the current situation.

The court was on Monday hearing an application filed by NGO Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan seeking direction to the Delhi government to resume the scheme of providing dry ration under the Mukhya Mantri Corona Sahayata Yojna or any other scheme.

The plea has also sought direction to continue accepting e-coupon applications, to continue operating kiosks/ helpdesks for facilitating the applicants for receiving the benefit of dry ration and to ensure resumption of hunger relief centres for providing hot cooked meals.

The bench initially expressed its disinclination to entertain the plea.

However, senior advocate Sanjay Parikh, representing the NGO, stated there was still a requirement for providing free cooked meals to hunger relief centres, ration to non-PDS beneficiaries (without ration card) and cooked food to those who are staying at night shelters.

"However, we do not find any relevant material to back the said averments. Mr. Parikh, learned senior advocate states that sometime may be granted to the petitioners to come back with some firm figures," the bench noted.

The bench then directed the member secretary of DLSA to conduct a recce and file a status report which shall also indicate “as to whether there is any need to continue with the hunger relief camps, to continue providing dry ration to the non-PDS beneficiaries as also providing cooked food to those who are using night shelters provided by the DUSIB”.

The application was filed in the pending petition by the NGO challenging the decision to link ration cards with Aadhaar.

The application, filed in July, challenged the Delhi government's discontinuance of the scheme of distribution of food grain to non-ration card holders since June, despite the national disaster declaration still being in force.

It said this was a violation of the right to food and life of lakhs of people residing in the city and also the directions issued by the high court earlier that ration must be given to all needy persons.

In April, the Delhi government under the Mukhya Mantri Corona Sahayata Yojna (MMCSY) had set up the e-coupon system for giving rations to 10 lakh people, which was subsequently revised to 30 lakh people not covered under the Public Distribution System (PDS).

The NGO said in its plea that on June 9, the Delhi government issued an order to close all hunger relief centres which were providing hot cooked meals free of cost and lakhs of people, especially those in the informal sector, daily wagers, migrant labourers and marginalised have been left with no food security net at a time when they are struggling to find employment during the pandemic.