Plea in Delhi HC to resume CM’s Corona food grain scheme

The Delhi High Court today (July 16) issued notice in a plea seeking directions to the Delhi government to resume its scheme of providing dry rations under the Mukhya Mantri Corona Sahayta Yojna (MMCSY) scheme for those who have applied for e-coupons and other poor and needy persons.

A division bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad has directed Delhi government to file its reply.

The application was filed by Advocate Prasanna S for the petitioner NGO ‘Delhi Rozi-Roti Adhikar Abhiyan’ in an ongoing matter at the court.

The petitioner has also sought various other directions, to continue accepting E-Coupon applications and continue operating kiosks and help desks facilitating such applications for the purpose of receiving benefits for all residents not already covered under the regular PDS scheme under the National Food Security Act, 2013.

Further it sought direction to ensure resumption of hunger relief centres providing hot cooked meals in hunger relief centres, and to provide hot cooked meals to all children in their respective schools vide the mid-day meal scheme or to provide full food security allowance (comprising of food grains and cooking cost) in lieu thereof.

It is averred in the application that a declaration of National Disaster under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 is still in force and that no measure of normalcy has returned in the daily lives of the residents of Delhi – particularly among the poor and marginalised who had been dependent on the said schemes for the alleviation of the hunger in their families and the realization of their right to food.

“It is therefore necessary that this Hon’ble Court issue suitable directions to GNCTD to continue providing dry rations to non-PDS beneficiaries as well as continue operating the hunger relief centres,” said the plea.

“It is pertinent to state that even the Atma Nirbhar Scheme vide which central government is providing rations to 8 crore migrant workers not covered under the Public Distribution System, was only for a period of 2 months i.e. May and June 2020 and it was not been further extended. As per the notification of the scheme, there was provision of providing rations to 7 lakh persons in Delhi,” stated in the plea.

The application was filed in the ongoing writ petition ‘Delhi Rozi-Roti Adhikar Abhiyan’ has filed the petition, which has challenged the Centre’s notification making the Aadhaar mandatory for accessing subsidized food grains under the National Food Security Act, 2013.

The Applicant asserted that denial of access to food grains and other key resources, coupled with the lack of necessary grievance redressal measures, was detrimental to the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

– India Legal Bureau