"Agar card ban gaya, hamara toh sansar hee badal jayega (if we get the card, our lives will be changed)," says a buoyant Ahirwar, who came from Madhya Pradesh in pursuit of work in 2005. He lives with Lakshmi and their two children in a resettlement colony of south Delhi. The family survives on an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh, a threshold put up by the city government to separate beneficiaries in the 16 million population for the National Food Security Act. The Ahirwars aim to now save Rs 2,500 annually on their ration expense.
A few months ago, they had received Rs 700 for the purchase of school uniforms for their daughter under a Delhi government scheme. They were overjoyed. Now, if they get a ration card before December's assembly polls, their vote to the Congress is guaranteed. Else, they will vote for the party in the 2014 general election.
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Her administration is racing against time to fully roll out the scheme, to score an edge over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a newly formed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), among others, for the 70 assembly seats. The hurry is so much so that the Dikshit government launched the scheme even before it was cleared in Parliament.
The city government has also decided to bear the expense of Rs 5 crore a month till it starts receiving funds from the Union government. Her government's task is to provide rice at Rs 3 a kg, wheat at Rs 2 a kg and coarse cereals at Rs 1 a kg for the next three years to 44 per cent (7.3 million) of Delhi's population. Delhi has 12.3 million voters.
Under the Act, subsidised food for October is to be distributed to 3.2 million covered under the various categories such as Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Jhuggi Ration Cards (JRCs), Resettlement Colony Ration Cards (RCRC) and Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration cards in the capital. Five kg of wheat and an equal amount of rice are provided to each member of a family but AAY families continue to receive 35 kg of ration, irrespective of their family size. Earlier, these people bought wheat at Rs 7 a kg and rice atRs 9.25 a kg.
"There may not be much difference in the price. But for poor people, even a single rupee matters. Something is better than nothing. If we save Rs 200 a month on ration, we can spend more on health," says Vandana Kumari, a resident of a slum Colony in west Delhi. Newspapers and radio channel advertisements are drawing a large number to the 70 food circle offices and 130 Gender Resource Centres to collect forms for new cards. The rush has given hope to legislators fighting anti-incumbency.
"It will definitely help the Congress. The scheme will benefit 7.3 million people, so we expect them to vote in our favour," says Mukesh Sharma, a four-time member of the legislative assembly (MLA).
"We fear they (state government) will even corner the money meant for the poor under this scheme," says a representative of AAP president Arvind Kejriwal.
The main opposition, the BJP, says such schemes are always promised during the election times. "People have understood that the Congress fools them with freebies. They will not get swayed this time," says party leader Harsh Vardhan.
Like crowding at circle offices, a similar enthusiasm is conspicuous among those people, who are yet to get the Aadhaar card. The 12-digit unique identity number is mandatory for a new ration card. People are swarming outside the Aadhaar camps across the city.
However, the city government might take another seven-eight months to get to the remaining 4.1 mn beneficiaries. Among these, some 1.8 mn get rations at a subsidised rate but they pay a little higher than those covered under the first phase. Now, these people will have to apply afresh for a new card. The remaining 2.3 mn people are devoid of any state or central scheme.
"The effort is to create a feel good-factor among people. It can be gauged by just having a look at the crowd at our centres. People are hopeful that sooner or later, they will get due benefits," says Delhi Food Commissioner S S Yadav, who was especially brought in to execute this ambitious scheme. The department is now manned by two officers from the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) against the traditional norm of one.
"We hope to include an additional 2.3 million to the existing number of beneficiaries soon but it might not happen before the Delhi elections. With the new system in place, we will be able to reach out to the right and needy people," says Yadav.
The food department has started collecting and screening the data of proposed beneficiaries. The government will run this data through various data bases like income tax returns, government offices and and vehicle ownerships to eliminate chances of imposters getting into the system. The beneficiaries will be given a smart card, linked with the online system.
The government says the Act should not be seen only as a means to subsidised food. All pregnant women, irrespective of financial situation, will get Rs 6,000. Besides lactating women, children between the age of six months and six years will get free food at anganwadis. If eligible people do not get the benefits, they can sue the government in court.
People are clearly looking forward to subsidised food and availing benefits of other schemes. For the poor in slums and resettlement colonies, what works is a ration card. Votes are guaranteed to those who help get these cards, a ticket to a better life. It facilitates opening of bank accounts, a must for getting benefits under the direct cash transfer schemes.
"Rations cards are a must for getting an election identity card, a flat for a slum under the Rajiv Awas Yojana, a driving licence and gas cylinders. Everything depends on it," says Pushpa Das outside the Lakshmibai Nagar food circle office, where Dikshit and her colleagues had launched the scheme on September 1.