Exactly a year ago in the UPA government, National Food Security Bill was passed in Lok Sabha. This wishful piece of legislation that later became National Food Security Act, 2013, was reckoned at one time to be ‘game changer’ not only for the struggling UPA government, but to large population of India as the endeavour meant highly subsidized food grains to almost 70 percent of the people. The food security provide for foodgrains and meals, foodgrains including rice, wheat and coarse grains. As per the Act, every person belonging to priority households are to receive 5kgs of foodgrains per person per month at subsidized prices specified by the State Government under Public Distribution System. According to one report published in Rising Kashmir, the state government has deferred a proposal to increase ration quota. The state government has been demanding increased ration and its argument is increased population as the state has been receiving as per 2011 census. While there have been no complaints regarding any state’s population and the amount of ration received from the Centre, there must be something awry the way ration is distributed in the state. Since the reports suggest that the state government is providing 35 kgs to each family, it is not clear as how much a member gets. There are small families with few members and large ones too where there are more than a dozen of members in the family. The way food security seems as having been worked out is on the need basis of an individual. Once it is fixed the whole family is provided for. But when public distribution takes account of the family – it becomes botched. Besides, the National Food Security Act, 2013, does take into account weaker sections like people living below poverty line, children and women. It is by far the most commendable job by the erstwhile UPA government that aims to provide food security for India’s middleclass and lower than middleclass households/families. If the state government is not happy with it, it is unfortunate. Although the state government can do a lot by checking corruption in the public distribution system that exists from ration ghats with unscrupulous munshis often deceiving the public to the granary stores, but it laments on demand for extra that gets rejected. CAPD (state) does not have the reputation among the people of the state as it ought to have. The incumbent government has failed to listen to thousands of consumer complaints in the last few years. If the food security act is implemented as it should be the situation would be lot better. In any case “some families” that the state government officials argue would be disturbed if they are not provided 35kgs doesn’t make much sense and it is not transparency.
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 09:48:22 +0000
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