Geetanjali Krishna: Rationing common sense

PEOPLE LIKE THEM

There's no way we can change anything on this. After all, this card was made on a computer! And it has been miraculously stiffened with a technology that I don't expect you illiterates to know about "" it's called lamination. All you need to know is that because they are computerised and laminated, it's impossible for us to add your new born children's names to your ration cards!"

Beaten by technology they hadn't a clue about, Sunita Devi and Nisha returned dispiritedly to their homes in Jagdamba Camp, resigned to buying the bulk of their rations from the expensive open market.

"My ration card just has three names on it "" my husband's, eldest son's and mine. But now I have three more children, and the youngest is eleven," said Nisha, saying that the ration she drew for three was obviously not enough for six.

She and Sunita had been trying for years to get the ration bureaucracy to add their children's names to their ration cards.

Eventually, they went with an NGO, who asked the concerned officer to give in writing that because the cards were computerised and laminated, they couldn't be amended. The wheels of officialdom immediately began working perfectly after that, but Sunita and Nisha encountered their next hurdle.

"Where are your children's birth certificates?" the officer demanded. The two ladies had none, as their children had all been born either at home or in their village.

But they had affidavits of their birth (which they had needed when they were getting their children admitted to school). "These won 't do," the official said. "Unless we have proper birth certificates, we can 't add your children's names to your cards!"

So off the two women trundled, armed with the two photographs, affidavits and filled up forms, to get these made "" spending more than a hundred rupees each in the process.

"The SDM's office told us to go home, and wait for someone from the police station near Jagdamba Camp to come for verification," said Sunita. But wait they did, and nobody came. So they gathered other ladies from the slum and went to the police station with their children.

"Yes I can see the children "" but how do I know they're yours? Get witnesses!" the police constable at the station said. The women told him that they would be each other's witnesses.

The constable said, "there are orders from above that women cannot give evidence, that their word will not be accepted!" The women were fighting mad.

"We told him to show us this order, or just give in writing that our government does not accept women's testimony!" said Sunita angrily.

"He was probably too shy to ask us for a little something for his nashta-pani (tea and snacks), that's why he wanted our menfolk to talk to him!" said Nisha.

Sunita snorted derisively, "I asked him wasn't Indira Gandhi, a woman, our prime minister? Then how could the same country pass a law saying that women's testimony is unacceptable?"

Eventually the constable told the women to go home, that he would send someone to their homes. The verification took place that very evening, but more than ten days have passed, and the ladies have not been able to get their ration cards amended.

"Yesterday, we went to check, and the ration official told us that the police hadn't sent their report. Now all we can do is wait," said Sunita.

To which Nisha added, "and hope that we are able to draw rations for all our children at least once before they get married or set up their own homes!"