Start door delivery of ration to needy, Centre tells states
New Delhi, June 29: Even as the Centre is yet to clear the Delhi government's proposal on door delivery of subsidised foodgrain, it told the states on Friday to implement a similar programme to prevent starvation deaths.
Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan asked the states to deliver ration to the doors of PDS beneficiaries unable to visit Fair Price Shops (FPS).
Addressing a gathering of state Food and Civil Supplies Ministers, Paswan said: "We do not want any deaths due to starvation. Those who are incapable of going to FPS should get ration at their doors. Assign your staff for delivery.
"If you cannot carry out door delivery, ask the beneficiaries to assign someone to receive the ration on their behalf."
An 11-year-old girl in Jharkhand's Simdega district had allegedly died of starvation last year as her family did not get foodgrain from the PDS shop as their ration card was not linked with the Aadhaar card.
Paswan said that about 81 crore persons in the country were getting foodgrain at subsidised rates -- rice at Rs 3 per kg, wheat at Rs 2 per kg and coarse grains at Re 1 per kg -- which will remained unchanged till 2019.
"We have issued guidelines to the states. We have told them that there should not be any death due to starvation. The central government spends a huge sum of money to give up to 90 per cent subsidy on foodgrain," he told reporters later.
Paswan said that he welcomed the Delhi government's plan to deliver ration at the door of intended beneficiaries but expressed concern about the FPS dealers.
"It is a good thing that they want to deliver ration at the doors. But what will happen to FPS dealers? If other states want to do it, it is welcome as we will be happy that the poor get ration at their homes," he said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had this month held a protest at the Lieutenant Governor's office over the "rejection" of the door delivery of ration scheme.
Paswan also said that sugarcane arrears had come down after the government took some measures, including a Rs 7,000 crore relief package to the sugar sector.
Cane arrears had increased to Rs 22,654 crore as of June 1.
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K’taka HC judge whose controversial remarks triggered controversy expresses regret before open court
Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court judge, Justice V Srishananda, on Saturday expressed regret in open court after facing backlash over his controversial remarks in his recent court hearings, reported Bar and Bench.
Two purported video clips from Justice V Srishananda’s court hearing that show him making inappropriate comments went viral across social media platforms.
On Saturday, Justice Srishananda invited members of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, and senior lawyers to his courtroom at 2:30 PM, where he read out a note expressing regret for inappropriate comments.
Quoting Advocates Association President Vivek Subba Reddy, Bar and Bench wrote, “He expressed regret for the comments and clarified that it was not his intention to offend any community or members of the Bar. He also requested the association to relay this message to all members of the Bar.”
Reddy further stated, “We also advised him to encourage young lawyers in the courtroom and refrain from making any irrelevant remarks during hearings.”
Another senior lawyer present during the session confirmed to the legal news portal that Justice Srishananda also addressed comments directed at a woman lawyer, who was seen in one of the videos being reprimanded by the judge. The judge Justice Srishananda clarified that his remarks were not intended to target her (woman lawyer) specifically, but rather pertained to the appellant she was representing. “He explained that his comment was meant to imply that the appellant seemed to know a lot about the other party,” said the lawyer.
In addition, Justice Srishananda assured those present that he would avoid making such comments in the future.
The controversy came to light on September 19, when a video clip from an August 28 Court hearing surfaced on social media, showing Justice Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority sub-locality in Bengaluru’s Goripalya as "Pakistan." Hours later, another video from the same courtroom emerged, in which the judge was seen making a gender-insensitive remark.
Following outrage over the viral videos, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, on September 20 took a suo motu cognizance and sought a report from the Karnataka High Court Registrar General in connection with the viral video.
