Over 10 lakh applicants await ration cards in Delhi

50% rise in pending applications over the past year, data show

Thirty-four-year-old Santosh, a domestic help and mother of two in Delhi, applied for a ration card in 2019 following the death of her husband. Three years and over 20 trips to government offices later, she is in a fix: there is no certainty when the document will be finally issued to her.

“I often can’t afford to buy milk and chicken for my children. Sometimes, we eat just roti and pickle,” says Ms. Santosh, who lives in a one-room house in Jagatamba Camp, a slum cluster in south Delhi.

Over 10.08 lakh persons in the Capital are facing the same predicament as their applications are still pending, according to data as of May 31 accessed by The Hindu.

The number of pending applications has increased by 50% in the past one year, the data show. At present, ration card holders in the city can secure up to 40 kg of food grains for free every month for their family.

Subsidised food grains are provided under the Central government’s Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and a cap is set on the number of beneficiaries based on the population of each State. The Delhi government, which is yet to issue 3.1 lakh ration cards to applicants, has repeatedly urged the Centre to raise its limit of 72.77 lakh beneficiaries, officials say.

Ms. Santosh, who earns around ₹3,000 a month working as a help in two houses, says she is struggling to make ends meet amid a rise in food prices. Her only other source of income is the widow pension of ₹2,500.

She says if she gets a ration card, she can buy milk and meat more frequently for her children with her savings. “Whenever I visit the government office, I am told that my application is on the waiting list. I’m tired of going there,” she says.