Refer doorstep ration delivery proposal to Centre: LG to Delhi govt

Lt Governor Anil Baijal today asked the Delhi government to refer its proposal for doorstep delivery of ration to the Centre with full details, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hitting back by saying no such reference was required according to law.

The chief minister had earlier today said such an important measure was rejected by the Lt Governor over "petty politics".

"V sad that Hon'ble LG has rejected doorstep delivery of ration scheme. I had repeatedly requested him to give me an audience before taking a decision but he did not (sic). Feeling really really sad that such imp proposals are becoming victims of petty politics," he had said on Twitter.

However, the LG's office in a statement said, "Lt Governor advised that the proposal of home delivery of ration may be referred to Government of India with full details, including all implementation issues, before a final decision is taken.

"Therefore, it is incorrect to say that the LG has rejected the proposal for home delivery of ration under TPDS," it said.

Hitting out at Baijal, the AAP government said it was of the clear view that no reference to central government was required in the matter and that the move of the LG amounted to "killing" the "landmark" scheme for the poor.

The government also said that the Lt Governor chose not to accept the cabinet decisions on the basis of "motivated objections" made by some bureaucrats.

"It appears that bureaucracy does not want this proposal to be implemented. The bureaucracy has fought tooth and nail to prevent it," it said in a statement.

"The elected government is of the view that it is a matter of real sadness that the LG has completely ignored the comments of ministers and relied on completely ridiculous and irrelevant objections made by some bureaucrats to stall such a revolutionary project," it said.

The development is most likely to bring in another round of tussle between the AAP dispensation and the LG office.

Earlier this month, the Delhi Cabinet had approved the proposal for delivering rations in sealed packets at the doorstep to PDS beneficiaries.

The proposal advocates providing doorstep delivery of wheat/flour, rice and sugar for eligible beneficiaries.

According to a government official, there are around 72 lakh PDS beneficiaries in the city.

The Lt Governor had also suggested the Arvind Kejriwal government to reconsider its decision to suspend the operation of e-PoS device under which people can get ration from any fair price shop in the city.