Public welfare schemes by Centre, Delhi govt may continue even after lockdown: HC
Jun 03, 2020
New Delhi [India], June 3 : Delhi High Court has said that it expects the Centre and Delhi government to ensure that the schemes floated by them for public welfare amid lockdown are scrupulously followed and may continue even after the lockdown.
A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan, while disposing of a PIL seeking distribution of relief material and food grains to Aadhar card and voter ID cardholders, said that the respondents may also take steps to enhance the benefits of the schemes to realise their objective that no person in Delhi should go hungry amid the lockdown.
The petition, moved by NGO Nayee Soch Society through advocate Varun Jain, had said that the coronavirus relief kits containing food grains, etc were not being distributed to non-ration cardholders and had added that Aadhar and Voter ID cardholders were equally entitled to the same benefits.
Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain appearing for respondents, submitted that there is no discrimination being done between the ration cardholder and non-ration cardholder.
Jain said that the Government of NCT of Delhi has taken adequate steps to ensure that no one suffers from hunger/starvation in Delhi and added that the government is providing dry ration to all persons in need of food, even those who do not possess ration-card.
He also submitted before the court that the government is running over 1,800 hunger relief centres, where approximately 8-10 lakhs people are served lunch and dinner daily.
After hearing the submission in the matter, the High Court expressed satisfaction and said several steps have been taken by the respondents to provide food grains and cooked food to the public at large irrespective of the fact whether they have ration cards or not.
"There are a number of schemes floated by the respondents as stated by the State Government as well as by the Central Government. Moreover, there are hunger relief centres in which ration cardholders, as well as those who are not having ration cards, can enter and get cooked food free of charge," the court observed.
"Thus, care has been taken by the respondents to provide food grains and cooked food whether that person is having a ration card or not. Thus, grievances by the petitioner about the discrimination between the ration cardholders and others is not tenable," it added.
