People speak on hunger at public hearing held by food rights group

Several talked about issues in getting ration from govt. centres

The Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikaar Abhiyaan (DRRAA) on Friday held a public hearing on hunger and food insecurity in the Capital.

Several people from different parts of the city shared their experiences on how during the pandemic and economic distress, they were unable to get ration from the government designated centres.

Krishna Devi, a domestic help from Gautampuri, said: “My husband is unable to work owing to health issues. Even during the last lockdown, we did not receive any ration. I have visited several government offices and tried to arrange all kinds of documents. Despite that, I have struggled to even get a ration card made. It has become increasingly difficult to sustain ourselves without government aid.”

Several people also said despite having applied for ration cards years back, they still haven’t received one.

Amrita Johri of the DRRAA said according to an RTI response, around two lakh ration card applications are pending with the government.

Veerwati from Pratapgarh said: “I had applied for a ration card in 2016 but still haven’t got one. I did not even receive any ration through the e-coupon system, which was launched last year during the lockdown. This time, I visited the designated schools several times but was told that the ration is out of stock. Not only did I not get ration, but I also ended up spending more on commuting.”

Suman Devi, a resident of the Lal Gumbad camp, described how delayed ration distribution had affected the family of four.

“My husband used to work in a factory, and he has been out of work since lockdown. I used to work as help but I lost that as well. My eldest child had to discontinue studies and we are trying hard to provide proper nourishment to the younger one as well. It was only in June that we got the ration designated for May and that too after much hassle. Expenses for everything have increased. They ask us to nourish our children well. How are we supposed to do that when we have no work and ration ourselves?,” rued Ms. Devi.

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