Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal on Wednesday asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to refer its proposal for doorstep delivery of ration to the Centre with full details with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hitting back saying no such reference was required according to law.
The Chief Minister had earlier on Wednesday said such an important measure was rejected by the L-G over “petty politics”. 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 who number around 72 lakh.
“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. Feeling really really sad that such imp proposals are becoming victims of petty politics [sic],” he said on Twitter.
‘Motivated objections’
However, the L-G’s office, in a statement said, “The L-G 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 L-G has rejected the proposal for home delivery of ration under TPDS.”
Hitting out at Mr. 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 L-G amounted to “killing” the “landmark” scheme for the poor. The government also said that the L-G 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 L-G 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.
