Cash transfers to poor a faulty move, says NGO
September 6th, 2011 - 5:52 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) The Delhi government’s scheme replacing the Public Distribution System with cash transfers is a “total fraud” as the poor will not benefit from receiving a fixed sum when prices of essential items are rising, NGO Rozi Roti Adhikar said Tuesday.
The NGO kicked off a 20-day yatra across the capital to galvanise opinion against the government’s decision.
According to a statement, the yatra will move through various parts of Delhi, and meetings will be held to seek people’s opinions on the issue.
One of the organisers, Deepti Sinha said: “We want to let the public know that the Delhi government’s scheme of cash transfer in lieu of ration subsidy is a total fraud. We demand that instead of luring people with cash, government should strengthen PDS scheme and make it available to common people at subsidised rates.”
Expressing her concern, Pushpa Lata, a slum dweller in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area, said: “We don’t want cash because today the government may give us Rs.1,000 but what will we do a few months down the line when the food prices rise?”
She wondered whether the government will keep increasing the cash amount to meet the rising food prices.
Another slum dweller, Sunita said: “We all know that such leakages and malpractices are also there in the public healthcare system, so will the government decide to shut down government hospitals next and give us a fixed amount of money for our medical needs too?”
- Slum dwellers protest direct cash transfers - Sep 27, 2011
- Poor want reformed PDS, not cash transfers - Aug 11, 2011
- Right to Food campaign demands universal PDS - Nov 01, 2011
- NGOs oppose direct cash transfer to poor families - May 19, 2011
- SMS alerts on ration planned in Madhya Pradesh - Sep 11, 2011
- Legislation in offing for street vendors - Nov 11, 2011
- Delhi to recruit 14,000 school teachers - May 08, 2011
- India's public distribution system faulty: World Bank - May 18, 2011
- Citizens seek details of elected representatives' spending - Sep 27, 2010
- Want slum free India: PM - Aug 15, 2011
- Sulabh to launch toilets with health centres in Delhi - Jan 16, 2012
- Will make Delhi slum-free, says Dikshit - Feb 10, 2012
- Sushma blames wrong UPA policies for price rise - Nov 20, 2011
- CPI-M denounces Food Security Bill - Dec 16, 2011
- Food prices should be brought down further: Sonia - Nov 02, 2010
Tags: amount of money, cash transfers, common people, deepti sinha, delhi government, food prices, government hospitals, healthcare system, issue one, leakages, malpractices, malviya nagar, public distribution system, public healthcare, pushpa, roti, rozi, slum, south delhi, yatra