Addressing a press conference at the party office in the Capital, the senior AAP leader said, “The BJP-led central government is scared of the success of people-centric schemes implemented by the AAP government in Delhi and consistently attempts to hinder their implementation. One such scheme is Ghar-Ghar Ration, through which the government aimed to ensure home delivery of ration. But, the L-G, following directions from the Centre, blocked the scheme…”
She said ration card holders face a lot of difficulties in getting 4 kg wheat, 1 kg rice, and 1 kg sugar allocated to them each month.

“When they go to collect their ration, the shop is often found closed, or there is a long queue outside. Even when they reach the shop, the shopkeeper misbehaves with them or claims the ration is out of stock. It is common for ration card holders to receive incomplete rations… if someone raises their voice against this malpractice, they are attacked and goons are unleashed upon them…,” she said.

The minister said AAP had launched the ‘Ghar-Ghar Ration’ scheme to eliminate “ration mafias” and “hooliganism” by delivering the grains on the lines of online retail stores.

The scheme was launched by the Kejriwal government in 2018 and notified in 2021. “However, the central government and the Delhi L-G ensured it never came into practice. Despite our hard work and efforts, people are still forced to queue up outside ration shops and endure the misbehaviour of shopkeepers…,” said Atishi.

“…However, yesterday, the same scheme was launched by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann in Punjab, which aims to benefit more than 17 lakh people. People in Punjab with ration cards will no longer have to stand in long queues…” she further said.

Pointing out that “there is no interference from the central government in Punjab”, Atishi appealed to the public that if they want such a scheme in Delhi, they must vote for the AAP.

“The central government must listen to the voice of the people of Delhi so that more such schemes can be implemented in the city,” she said.

Dismissing Atishi’s allegations, Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Virendra Sachdeva said, “The Central government provides free ration for 72 lakh people… For the last five years, the Kejriwal government has neither lifted the ration from FCI’s central stores on time nor distributed it on time, which is why ration often remains undistributed for two months in the Capital.”

He further alleged that the AAP government wanted to distribute the ration received from the Centre under the Food Security Act (FSA) in its own name through the doorstep delivery scheme, prompting the L-G to halt it in 2021.

“Atishi can check… even the Punjab government will not include FSA ration in their doorstep ration distribution. If they wish, they can purchase through FCI (Food Corporation of India) or from the open market, and distribute it under door-to-door scheme. No one is stopping them from distributing their own ration,” said Sachdeva.