The Delhi government’s move to provide cash instead of subsidized food-grain has come under criticism from a group of activists led by Arvind Kejriwal, who said on Thursday that the scheme was against the spirit of the proposed food security act which called for improving the PDS system.

Delhi has launched a pilot project in Raghubir Nagar area where 100 families will be given cash instead of food-grains. The government will analyse the functioning of the project after six months.

Members of the NGO Parivartan said that when they met chief minister Shiela Dikshit on Wednesday and expressed their opposition, she said no opposition to the move will be tolerated.

Kejriwal said the chief minister was going ahead with the project on the basis of the reports submitted by the Delhi government, UNDP and the ngo SEWA.

“Her attitude shows that she has some vested interest in the scheme. She also admitted that she was under pressure from the World Bank to launch the scheme,” said Kejriwal, adding that the survey conducted by the SEWA was not scientific.

The delegation said that SEWA’s report, prepared in 2009, was based on a survey of 150 families. The report said that 60 percent of the 150 families surveyed said they want cash instead of ration. There are more than 4.5 lakh BPL families in the capital.

The delegation also referred to the survey done by Ration Vyawastha Sudhar Abiyaan - a group of NGOs which found that people are against this scheme.