‘Misleading’: Centre counters Delhi on ration card scheme

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 14

The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that the Delhi Government’s claim that it had launched One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme in the national capital was “misleading”, as it was launched only in one circle in Seemapuri area.

“Only a handful of transactions conducted in a single circle with about 42 ePoS (electronic point of sale) machines cannot be considered as implementation of the ONORC,” the Centre told the SC in a written submission.

In the absence of its full implementation, migrant workers won’t be able to avail benefit of their quota of subsidised foodgrain in Delhi under the National Food Security Act, it said.

“Further, unless the national portability transactions are rolled out formally in all the FPSs (fair price shops) of all circles of NCT Delhi, in which more than 2,000 ePoS machines have been supplied and waiting for operation, it can’t be considered as implementation of the ONORC,” the Centre said.

The SC had on Friday asked the West Bengal Government to immediately implement the ONORC scheme to enable migrant workers to get ration at the place of their work in other states as well. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had told the court that West Bengal, Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Assam governments had not implemented the ONORC scheme.

The Centre maintained that the ONORC enables migratory NFSA beneficiaries to access the public distribution system (PDS).