Explained: How Delhi's foodgrain scheme is working on the ground

Registration and distribution bottlenecks put question marks on implementation

Sabira Khatoon, a 61-year-old from Munger in Bihar, has been working in Delhi for many years as a house help. She is happy that the Delhi government has decided to provide the ration her family is entitled to, free. Khatoon and over 7.2 million families like her's, who already have a ration card, are entitled to 5 kg of subsidised grain under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Now, they are also getting another 5 kg of grain under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMG­KY), which has been activated by the Centre for nearly 800 million benefici­aries for May and June this year.

The only trouble for Khatoon is that the ration shop, which doles out foodgrain, remains shut on most days. Khatoon says she has to make several trips in a month to get her quota of rice and wheat and many times, it takes hours since there is a long queue. In her Soami Nagar J J Colony, peopled by domestic workers and house helps, every family has a ration card.

A ration card is the key document for the poor to get their quota of subsidised rations from the government. But since the pandemic arrived on Indian shores last year, bringing hunger and massive loss of livelihoods with it, there has been a growing demand for free rations for all, not just those holding a ration card.

Activists have pointed out that only about a third of the population that needs rations is covered under the public distribution system (PDS) through ration cards, leaving a majority vulnerable to hunger. In 2013, the PDS was made part of the NFSA and it offers two levels of entitlements. For below poverty line households, 5 kg grain per person per month (rice or wheat) is given at subsidised prices. For the poorest of the poor (Antyodaya) households, the entitlement is 35 kg of free grain per month. Nearly 240 million ration cards and over 800 million beneficiaries are registered under the PDS system. But nearly 90 million households are estimated to still be outside PDS and they need assistance to stave off hunger during the pandemic.

A study by the Azim Premji University titled “State of Working India 2021” has advoc­a­t­ed at least a temporary univ­er­salisation of PDS so that free foodgrain is available to any­one who needs it. It also says that over the years, many states may already have moved beyo­nd a BPL (below poverty line) approach, towards a near-uni­v­ersal PDS coverage using their own resources. A case in point is Tamil Nadu, where coverage of subsidised grain is universal.

Last week, Delhi also joined the few states that are offering free rations, regardless of whether the person is a ration card holder or not. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed his inability to offer ration cards to more beneficiaries since the central government had fixed a quota for every state. “Last year too, when we witnessed the first wave, we provided ration to non-PDS people. Similarly, we will provide ration to all those who do not possess a ration card. This will be implemented within three-four days. One does not need to provide any income certificate to avail of this,” Kejriwal was quoted as saying last week.

Delhi’s food and civil supplies minister Imran Hussain remained unavailable to answer queries on the universal ration scheme. There is still no clarity on how the free-grain-for-all programme will be implemented. But an activist working to alleviate hunger pointed out that last year too, the Delhi government had handed out food kits to migrant workers who were not covered under PDS. That kit contained chhole (chickpea), cooking oil, dal and sugar besides grain. “But this year, no kits have been distributed yet. The government has made the announcement of free ration for all, we are yet to see its implementation on the ground,” this activist said.

The Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan (DRRAA) — a network of groups and individuals working on the right to food in Delhi — has welcomed the state government’s initiative to provide dry rations to all while pointing out several issues during implementation of the scheme. The biggest seems to be the registration process itself. Last year, it was necessary for anyone wanting free ration to register on a website and DRRAA said this caused “intense hardship and exclusion” till the Delhi High Court directed the state govern­ment to set up helpdesks. It has asked the government to allow walk-ins, instead of seeking identity proof or making registration mandatory.

Other issues raised by the Abhiyan include establishment of sufficient distribution points — either through the network of 2,000 ration shops or at least three distribution points in each municipal ward — to enhance accessibility. And inclusion of dal, oil, sugar, masala, masks and soap in the free ration kitty.

Also, the Abhiyan has said that at least 60-70 per cent of the population requiring assis­tance to remain food-secure continues to be vulne­rable. Last year, when the free foodgr­ain-for-all scheme was launch­ed by the Delhi govern­ment, over 6 million people without ration cards had registered under the e-coupon scheme. This year, there is also a dema­nd for public monitor­ing of the scheme and the gov­er­nment is being urged to provide details of the quantity of ration distributed and the beneficiar­ies in the public domain.

Not just Delhi, some other states are also providing meals to the hungry. Karnataka also decided to offer three cooked meals a day but only for the duration of the lockdown. The Kerala government has decided to again distribute food kits to the needy with foodgrain, chana and vegetables.

Activists say the West Bengal government has also started a free foodgrain scheme for the poor.