Coronavirus lockdown: PIL claims thousands of needy in Delhi not getting ration despite e-coupons

A PIL has been moved in the Delhi High Court alleging that thousands of needy people in the national capital are not getting ration under the public distribution system (PDS) despite having the e-coupons issued by the AAP government.

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The plea by a third-year law student, Shabnam, said the Delhi government announced that e-coupons can be obtained by filling up a simple form online.

However, the form is not simple and and the website for applying for an e-coupon has crashed, the petition said.

"Whenever the website is accessed, it permanently shows the message 'server under heavy load! Please check after some time'. Moreover, most poor people cannot apply online as most do not have smart phones and there are no cyber cafes functioning during the lockdown," it said.

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"They need to have the ability to access the internet, have a mobile phone to generate an OTP, upload a photo of their Aadhaar card and a photo of their family, and finally, download the e-coupon. This makes the system inaccessible for the poorest and marginalised who need rations," it added.

The petitioner, in her plea filed through advocate Kriti Kumari, claimed that she collected data from the PDS shops about the poor people who were denied ration despite having e-coupons and prepared a list which was forwarded to the LG's office and Delhi government officials as a representation.

However, no action has been taken by the authorities till date, the petition has claimed.

It has sought directions to the Delhi government to ensure appropriate quantity of rations as per the norms is immediately dispersed and distributed to the needy persons, including those having e-coupons but have not received foodgrain.

It has also sought a direction to the Delhi government to ensure there is adequate stock at the ration/PDS shops.