Delhi L-G Vinai Kumar Saxena.
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: The Delhi lieutenant governor has directed the chief secretary to probe the city government's alleged failure to issue ration cards to 90,000 poor people, following a request from Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijender Gupta.
Gupta has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi of neglecting the needs of economically-vulnerable families, claiming that it has deprived thousands of their rightful access to food, according to a statement issued by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader on Saturday.
In the statement, Gupta labelled the AAP administration as anti-poor, alleging that it has "snatched food from the mouths of thousands" by not providing them with ration cards.
"This situation reflects an ongoing agenda against Dalit and marginalised communities," the BJP leader alleged in the statement.
The issue centres around the "Antyodaya Anna Yojana", launched under the National Food Security Act during former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, to supply essential ration to the poorest families in the society, Gupta said.
Under the scheme, 1,56,800 families in the national capital are eligible to receive 35 kg of monthly ration, including wheat, rice and sugar, according to the BJP leader.
However, he claimed that the number of beneficiaries declined since the AAP took office in 2015, dropping from 76,458 to 66,532 families.
Gupta alleged that around 90,000 individuals, who should have been issued ration cards, remain without access to this vital support.
He also recounted that in 2019, the Delhi government's food and civil supplies department created a list of eligible individuals but was ordered by minister Imran Hussain to halt the issuance of new ration cards.
In addition to food security, Gupta criticised the AAP government for not implementing other essential welfare programmes for the poor, such as the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme.
He emphasised that the BJP will continue advocating for the rights of the underprivileged and expressed hope that the LG's investigation will lead to the distribution of ration cards to those in need.