Anushka Sharma –

Published On: November 23, 2021 at 12:40 IST

The Centre on Monday filed a petition in the Delhi High Court opposing the Delhi Government’s Doorstep Delivery of Ration Scheme, arguing that the State cannot mitigate the architecture of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) while executing it.

According to the Centre, fair pricing stores are an intrinsic aspect of the NFSA, and the State must conform to the Law’s architecture.

The Court was hearing a Petition filed by the Delhi Sarkari Ration Dealers Sangh, which was challenging the Delhi Government’s Mukhymantri Ghar Ghar Ration Yojana, which provides rations to Residents’ doorsteps.

“We have no role in the selection of fair price shop owners. It is not that the system is placed by us and the State is prejudiced. It is chosen by the State Government,” Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, said.

Ms Bhati, along with Central government standing counsel Monika Arora, went on to say that the State Government is free to provide benefits that are higher than the NFSA, but they cannot change the Act’s design.

The Centre’s Appeal against a Delhi High Court order directing the AAP Government not to restrict or curtail the supply of food grains or wheat to fair price shops was dismissed by the Supreme Court on November 15.

The Top Court had stated that the High Court’s September 27 judgement, which was being challenged, was an Interim Order, and that the subject is scheduled to be heard by the High Court on November 22, thus it would not like to hear it.

The Delhi government defended its Doorstep Delivery of Ration in the National Capital Territory Scheme, saying it is for the poor who are now being pressured by fair price store owners to opt out of the home delivery option or lose their rations.

It was claimed that because the current model of the Public Distribution System (PDS) is riddled with corruption and incompetence, resulting in massive leakages and syphoning off of subsidised food grains, the programme will ensure that clean bags of rice and wheat reach the poor.

The High Court on September 27 directed the Delhi government to issue communications to all the fair price shop dealers informing them of the particulars of ration cardholders who have opted to receive their rations at doorsteps.

It said thereafter, the fair price shops dealers are not required to be supplied with the ration of the PDS beneficiaries who have opted for doorstep delivery.

The matter will be considered again on November 29 by a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh, who heard the case for several hours.

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