Due to the ongoing effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stated on Saturday that the Delhi Government's free ration scheme for people will be extended for another six months, till May 2022.
The Delhi CM also penned a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to follow suit across the country.
Kejriwal wrote to PM Modi that inflation had reached dangerously high levels, making it "impossible to even acquire two square meals."
He also mentioned that the epidemic had left many young people jobless.
"For the next six months, the Delhi government is extending its free ration scheme to the underprivileged." In a letter to the Prime Minister, I pushed the Central Government to continue its rationing plan for another six months. Right now, a lot of people are in a lot of difficulties. Kejriwal wrote, "It would not be appropriate to leave their hand at this point."
He stated that during the COVID pandemic, the Central Government provided free rations to all ration cardholders across the country, with the Delhi Government following suit.
Telling White Lies
However, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, accused Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia of "telling white lies" about the distribution of free rations to the underprivileged and the imposition of VAT on fuel costs.
"Since April last year, the Modi government has supplied free rations to 72 lakh ration cardholders in Delhi through the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, in addition to rations under the National Food Security Act." Bidhuri stated that the proposal is still in the works.
“However, despite the statement, the Delhi government is not providing free ration cards to 60 lakh people who do not have them. Even the Supreme Court had to order the Delhi government to provide the requisite food and ration provisions for the destitute and migratory workers," he remarked.
Bidhuri rebutted Sisodia's claim that the "Centre" was to blame for rising petrol prices. He said that after taking power, the AAP hiked the VAT on both petrol and diesel.
"Vat was taxed at 20% on petrol and 12% on diesel when the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in 2015." Later, the Delhi government raised the VAT on fuel to 30%," he claimed.
“On top of that, during the COVID-19 era, diesel was subject to a 30% VAT. Even now, there is a 30% VAT on petrol and a 16.755 percent VAT on diesel, the highest in the country,” he noted.
