Doorstep delivery of rations approved, says Arvind Kejriwal; instructs food department to implement immediately

The doorstep delivery of rations has been approved by the L-G. Arvind Kejriwal tweeted that all objections to the proposal have been overruled and the food department has been directed to start its implementation immediately.

Directed dept to keep me informed of daily progress https://t.co/csyYR8XdlH

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 6, 2018

The doorstep delivery of rations is one of the schemes that the AAP government pushed for after the Supreme Court judgment on Wednesday, which restored some of the powers of the elected Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of Delhi and cautioned the L-G to not play an “obstructionist” role.

The AAP government has claimed that while there are 20 lakh targeted beneficiaries of the Public Distribution System (PDS), widespread corruption in the system prevents from adequate rations reaching those who need it. To solve this problem, the Arvind Kejriwal cabinet had approved of a ‘doorstep delivery of rations’ scheme to ensure doorstep delivery of monthly ration to beneficiaries on a timely basis.

In March this year, the Delhi government had sent the file to the L-G for approval. During his nine-day sit-in at the L-G’s residence last month, Kejriwal had said that getting the doorstep delivery of rations cleared was one of his main objectives.

There are multiple schemes that the AAP government is pushing for, according to News18 reports .

The Delhi government said it was ready to bear the cost of the pilgrimage to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Mathura and Haridwar for senior citizens. This was sent for the L-G’s approval in February and is still pending.

The Delhi cabinet on Tuesday also approved the health department proposal for the remodelling of 94 Delhi government dispensaries into Polyclinics in different areas of the national capital at the cost of Rs 168 crore. The aim of the project is to reorganise health care facilities by remodelling the dispensaries into polyclinics, which will be attached to various Delhi government hospitals. The expenditure sanction of Rs 303 crore for the construction of six-lane flyover at Shastri Park Intersection and two-lane flyover at Seelampur has also been approved by the AAP government.

The approval for the reconstitution ofthe  Delhi Waqf Board was sent to the L-G in November 2017 and has not been approved. The Delhi Waqf Board was dissolved in October 2016 and has led to several difficulties in management. According to the Delhi government, 991 Waqf Board properties have been illegally occupied.

The AAP government further decided that if any member of armed forces dies on duty in operations, calamities and disaster relief, and is a resident of Delhi, he/she should be awarded Rs 1 crore posthumously. This file was sent to the L-G in September 2016 and was not approved.

Additionally, the Delhi government had launched an investigation into alleged corruption by a firm hired in 2014 by the L-G for Housekeeping in LNJP and GTB Hospitals. In September 2017, AAP had requested the L-G to demand a CBI probe into the case. The L-G did not respond to the request.