Delhi govt’s claim of ONORC implementation is misleading: Centre to SC

Share

Tweet

Share

Share

Email

Comments

Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that the claim of Delhi Government regarding launch of One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) plan in NCT of Delhi is misleading.

In the case related to problems and miseries of migrant labourers during Covid restrictions the Centre through its affidavit said that the Delhi Government’s own additional affidavit claims to have implemented ONORC only in circle 63 Seemapuri.

It further added that only a handful of transactions conducted in single circle with about 42 ePoS (electronic point of sale) machines cannot be considered as implementation of ONORC.

Unless the national portability transactions are rolled out formally in all the FPSs of all Circles of NCT Delhi, in which more than 2000 ePoS machines have been supplied and waiting for operation, it cannot be considered as implementation of ONORC.

The Centre said, “It is pertinent to appreciate that a very large number of inter-State migrants are present all across Delhi (such as migrant workers, numerous street dwellers, rag-pickers, migratory labourers, construction workers, rickshaw pullers, auto/taxi drivers, etc.) who do not have access to their NFSA foodgrains, being away from their own villages/hometowns, are not able to take the benefit of their quota of subsidised NFSA foodgrains in Delhi – as there is no full implementation of ONORC.”

The Centre told the Supreme Court that despite the multitude of COVID-19 related challenges in the past year, a total of 32 States/UTs covering around 69 Crore NFSA ( National Food Security Act) beneficiaries were swiftly brought under the ONORC plan by December 2020.

Though Delhi, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Assam are yet to fully implement it.