CM orders weekly ration camps, sets Diwali deadline for LPG coverage
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday ordered weekly public grievance camps across the capital for the immediate resolution of ration card complaints. The Chief Minister directed a crackdown on corruption in the public distribution system, and fixed a Diwali deadline to extend free LPG connections to every eligible family still left uncovered.
The decisions were taken during a detailed review meeting of the Food, Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Department, where the Chief Minister assessed the functioning of ration delivery, pending public complaints, technology upgrades, and the progress of welfare schemes linked to food security and cooking fuel.
In the most immediate step, the Chief Minister announced that Jan Shikayat Samadhan Camps will begin from May 1 and will be held every Saturday from 9 am to 11 am at all designated centres across Delhi. These camps, she said, will function under the supervision of Assistant Commissioners and will focus primarily on clearing all pending ration card grievances on the spot.
The Chief Minister also warned officials that she would conduct surprise visits to some of these centres to check whether citizens are actually getting relief or complaints are merely being recorded without action. Officials have also been directed to use these camps to spread awareness about the One Nation One Ration Card system and clearly explain that a beneficiary can lift ration from only one location at a given time.
The Chief Minister made it clear that the Government wants visible improvement in ration services and not just departmental reviews on paper. She expressed serious concern over repeated complaints of under-weighing of foodgrain, delays in delivery, unauthorised deductions, and irregular conduct by ration dealers.
Calling these complaints unacceptable, the Chief Minister ordered that responsibility be fixed not only on fair price shop dealers but also on suppliers and officers involved in the chain, wherever lapses are found. “Strict accountability has to be enforced in the entire supply system. Anyone found indulging in negligence or malpractice will face action,” she said during the meeting.
To ensure a cleaner and more transparent beneficiary selection process, the Chief Minister proposed the formation of a special oversight committee that will supervise the identification and verification of new ration beneficiaries. Fresh applications are to be invited soon so that eligible households currently left out of the public distribution network can be included without delay.
The Chief Minister also pushed for technological reforms in the ration system. She instructed the department to introduce new smart ration cards equipped with QR codes and improved digital features to make verification easier and reduce manipulation.
Alongside this, all 1,943 Public Distribution System shops in Delhi are to be standardised. Officials have been told to ensure uniform display boards, better hygiene, improved service conditions, and a more citizen-friendly environment at these outlets.
The meeting also reviewed the financial condition of ration shops. Officials noted that under an order issued in July 2025, these shops have been allowed to sell household and daily-use goods through public sector undertakings to improve their economic sustainability.
A major part of Monday’s review also focused on the Free LPG Scheme. According to official figures presented in the meeting, out of 15,47,595 eligible beneficiaries, 12,39,465 families are already availing of the scheme.
The Chief Minister directed the department to ensure that every remaining eligible household is brought under LPG coverage by Diwali. For this, she ordered a special registration campaign, tighter coordination with oil companies, and data sharing among departments. She also instructed officials to set up Aadhaar centres at district offices to complete 100 per cent e-KYC and remove documentation hurdles that often prevent poor families from enrolling.
