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Ration cards elude the poor

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, AUG. 3. It has been two years since Kamlesh, a widow staying with her three children in the Kalyanpuri slum clusters in the Capital, has been trying to get a ration card made but without any success. The local Food and Civil Supplies Department has refused to give her even the application form.

"They are asking me to prove that I am a widow. It is only then that I would get a form," Kamlesh said. The story of Bhagva Devi, another widow who lost her ration card a few years ago, is no different. The area ration office has not issued her a duplicate ration card.

At a public hearing on Saturday, many women like Kamlesh and Bhagva spoke about the "indifferent attitude" of the Delhi Government when it came to giving the poor a ration card and timely distribution of food through fair price shops. "Who cares for the poor? The entire system exists only on papers. It is a big farce," alleged Arvind Kejriwal, of Parivartan, the non-government organisation, which organised the public hearing. Claiming that many poor people have not been issued ration cards, Mr. Kejriwal alleged that even those who had were not getting the ration. "Almost 90 per cent of the supplies in most parts of the Capital are being siphoned off. A physical verification done by Parivartan at a few shops in East Delhi has revealed this startling fact," he said.

Alleging that the public distribution system was not reaching the targeted group, he said the poor were being deprived of their right to food. While there are 34 lakh ration cardholders above the poverty line, only 4.09 lakhs were from below poverty line (BPL). Arguing that those above the poverty line hardly lifted their ration from the fair price shop and as a result it was sold in the market, the public hearing demanded that the number of BPL be increased to 10 lakhs.

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