Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs and Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday tore into West Bengal and Delhi chief ministers Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal for their obstinacy in not implementing the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme which is meant to benefit innumerable migrant workers so that they can avail benefits in any part of the country. Delhi has not yet implemented the scheme. While Delhi had said in April it had implemented the scheme – the AAP government is evidently creating roadblocks for it to be rolled out smoothly.
Delhi had suspended the installation of e-PoS devices, which are similar to card swiping machines, but has resumed the process, which is critical to the One Nation One Ration Card plan – leading to delays in implementation. West Bengal, of course, under the rule of Mamata Banerjee keeps coming up with new excuses to not implement the scheme since it is a flagship programme of the Modi government, and the chief minister’s hate for the BJP trumps the welfare of poor people.
On Friday, the Supreme Court directed the West Bengal government to implement the Centre’s ‘one nation-one ration card’ scheme immediately without any excuse. “You cannot cite one or the other problem. This is for migrant workers,” the Supreme Court said. Hardeep Singh Puri took to Twitter to react to the same and said that there is just too much in common between Kejriwal and Banerjee when it comes to depriving the poor of their rights.
“There are clearly discernible and common behavioural traits between CMs of WB & Delhi. They protest too much. But I hope after today’s Hon’ble SC order, Mamata ji also implements One Nation One Ration Card scheme. Surely, she would not want to starve the people of her state,” the Union Minister said.
There are clearly discernible & common behavioural traits between CMs of WB & Delhi. They protest too much.
But I hope after today's Hon'ble SC order, Mamata ji also implements One Nation One Ration Card scheme.
Surely she would not want to starve the people of her state.
— Hardeep Singh Puri (मोदी का परिवार) (@HardeepSPuri) June 11, 2021
The One Nation, One Ration Card programme is a national platform that digitises ration cards, details of beneficiaries, the monthly quota of ration under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, and allows withdrawals through electronic point of sale machines, thereby allowing the mobility of ration benefits. The One Nation One Ration Card programme is now functional in 32 states and Union Territories, covering 690 million beneficiaries, or 86 per cent of those eligible for food security cover.
Hardeep Singh Puri has hit the nail on the head by drawing out the similarities between Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee. For these two CM’s, petty politics seems to almost always take precedent over the welfare of common citizens.