The ITO crossing was full of protest chants against the government’s move to provide cash instead of subsidised food and fuel through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Women from slums and resettlement colonies across Delhi-NCR and representatives of 30-odd organisations that participated in the protest — organised by ‘Rozi-Roti Aadhikar Abhiyan’ — expressed discontentment over the decision.
The government should strengthen the PDS system instead of replacing it with a new system, they said. Through the cash transfer scheme, the Delhi government plans to replace the existing PDS, which is rife with problems like corruption, adulteration and thefts. In the new system, the subsidy amount will be transferred directly to the beneficiary’s account or given to him/her on the basis of a smart card.