Modi government bars Kejriwal from rolling out doorstep ration delivery

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government has accused the Centre of putting its flagship doorstep ration delivery scheme on hold, the office of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told IANS on Friday.

This came as the AAP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been at loggerheads for the last few weeks especially after the Centre presented the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD) Bill (Amendment) 2021 in the Lok Sabha, which seeks to give more powers to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor.

"The BJP ruled Centre has put Delhi government's doorstep delivery scheme on hold. Delhi government's flagship scheme is to provide food grains for the people of the national capital at their doorstep," said a source in the Delhi government.

According to a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the subsidised foodgrains being allocated by the department for distribution under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) cannot be used for running any state-specific or other scheme under a different name other than NFSA.

The same is not permissible under the Act. The said notification has been issued to the Food and Civil Supplies department of the Delhi Government.

"The use of new nomenclature or scheme name for distribution of NFSA foodgrains by the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi is not permissible," the notification said The Kejriwal government had notified the scheme for the doorstep delivery of rations, which as per the earlier announcement was supposed to roll out by March-end this year.

Kejriwal had announced the scheme during his Republic Day speech at the Delhi Secretariat.