Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Friday said her Government finalised all the nitty gritties to implement the ambitious food security scheme with an aim to make the city “hunger-free”. Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to launch the scheme on August 20, the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.
Dikshit said the Government will provide benefits under the scheme to 73.5 lakh people in the city out of the total population of 1.68 crore. More than 32 lakh people belonging to most vulnerable households will be brought under the food security cover on August 20.
In the first phase, all BPl families, Above Poverty line (APl) card holders, Jhughi Ration Card (JRC) holders and those under Antodaya Anna Yojna (AAY) will be included. According to Dikshit, 44 per cent of the total population would be covered under the scheme.
Under the programme, the rate of per kg of rice will be Rs 3, while wheat and coarse cereals will be given at Rs 2 and Rs 1 per kg respectively. Beside this, the Delhi Government has also decided to increase maternity benefit of Rs 6,000 to pregnant women in all districts.
At present, maternity benefit of Rs 4,000 is provided to pregnant women of only two districts.
“We are committed to implement the scheme in true spirit. Through the scheme, we will make Delhi hunger free,” Dikshit said addressing a Press Conference attended by all her Cabinet members.
Considering the potential of the populist measure in the Assembly elections slated for November in the city, Dikshit had earlier this month announced that Delhi will be the first State in the country to launch the scheme, dubbed a ‘game changer’ by Congress for the lok Sabha polls next year.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department has identified 200 places including Food Supplies Offices and additional district magistrate offices for issuing food security cards which would include Aadhar numbers of all family members. The ration cards will also be printed afresh in a phased manner.
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The Delhi Government has also decided to include homeless people, daily wage earners, rag-pickers, people living in resettlement colonies of F, G and H categories, slum clusters, notified 'abadi' in rural villages, transgenders, households with disabled people, single women, children living without protection, unskilled construction workers, porters, casual workers, cycle rickshaw pullers, would be eligible under the scheme in the first phase of implementation of the scheme. Apart from this, other households having annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh per month would be eligible, except households where any member owns a light or heavy vehicle or owns a building land in any of the ‘A' to ‘E' category colonies, receives ration or food subsidy under any other scheme, any member of the household is an income tax payee, any member of household is a Government employee or working in local bodies/autonomous bodies of the Government and any household has electricity connection above two kilowatt. Dikshit also made it clear that the beneficiaries of Annashree Yojana, who are getting a monthly cash subsidy of Rs 600, will not be brought under it.