Scepticism over foodgrain supply
The National Advisory Council headed by Sonia Gandhi hotly debated the universalisation of entitlement with some of the members opposing the proposal on Thursday.
While the majority were in favour of the idea, some of the members cited arranging adequate supply of foodgrains and managing huge finances as implementation b
ottlenecks. They said that while it was impossible for the government to feed a population of 1.2 billion, the move would substantially jack up the already high food subsidy bill of Rs 72,000 crores.
Growing and procuring grains to feed the entire population, they said is a major challenge before the government.
Noted farm scientist Prof M.S. Swaminathan and activist Harsh Mander highlighted the need for universal entitlements under the National Food Security Act. They focused on the need towards increasing overall availability of foodgrain through stepping up agriculture productivity and enhancing procurement of foodgrains, said sources.
Former bureaucrat N.C. Saxena is understood to have suggested staggered implementation of universal entitlement beginning with 150 districts of the country.
The members for the proposal deliberated on the draft National Food Security Act and asked the working group on food security to submit fresh recommendations on July 14 after due consultations with other stakeholders. “It’s work in progress,” said sources.
In the NAC’s full-scale meeting on food security on Thursday the members made their presentations after the chairperson introduced the proposed law.
The discussion mostly veered around the number of hungry citizens to be covered under the bill, the quantity of foodgrains to be provided and how to implement the law.
Sources said while the plan panel has suggested around 8 crore BPL persons in 2010, up from the 6.5 crore being covered under the PDS, the NAC has to take a call on increasing the quantity of foodgrains to be allocated from 25 kg to 35 kg per month per BPL family.
Sources said the working group on food security advised that special care should be taken to cover the poorest among the poor namely — the aged, the infirm, the destitute, the homeless, the differently-abled, street children, primitive tribes and persons suffering from debilitating diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV AIDS and leprosy.
The working group also emphasised the need for systemic reforms.
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