‘Submit dry ration distribution plan’: Delhi HC to Kejriwal government

NEW DELHI:  The high court on Thursday asked Delhi government to give a road map that would ensure needy and marginalised non-PDS beneficiaries were adequately provided with dry ration in the pandemic.

A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh asked the government to list bullet points of the work done till now in this regard.

This direction came after an NGO Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan, challenged the government’s non-PDS guidelines that put an ‘arbitrary’ limit of 20 lakh beneficiaries for providing dry ration.

The NGO said foodgrain should be provided to all the needy and sought direction from the government to modify the May 27 guidelines so that it should not be a mere one-time relief measure and that the beneficiaries may receive dry ration for every calendar month until further orders.

Delhi government additional standing counsel Anju Aggarwal submitted that the cap was done away with in pursuance to the court’s June 25 order. 

The court in this order had expressed confidence that the Delhi Government will rise-up to its responsibility of providing adequate food grain to the requisite number of beneficiaries, especially in the distressing circumstances in which several residents of Delhi find themselves.

Advocate Prasanna S, representing the NGO, claimed that stocks were not readily available for non-PDS beneficiaries.