Calcutta HC declares 'Duare Ration' scheme illegal, against food Act

Calcutta High Court on Wednesday declared the West Bengal government's "Duare Ration" scheme as illegal and against the National Food Security Act.

A division bench of Justices Aniruddha Roy and Chitta Ranjan Dash said, "We are, therefore, constrained to hold that the State Government has transgressed the limit of delegation by obliging the Fair Price Shop dealers to distribute the rations to the beneficiaries at their doorstep in absence of any authority to that effect in the enabling Act i.e. 'NFS Act'." "If the 'NFS Act' is amended by the wisdom of the Union Legislature i.e. Parliament for doorstep delivery of food grains to the beneficiaries or invest any such power to the

State Government then only such a scheme can be made by the State and that can be said to be in sync with the enabling Act.," the court said.