The rain god’s bounty could turn catastrophic in states like Punjab, Haryana and Himachal which are the nation’s granaries. We have seen earlier how even in good weather tonnes of foodgrain lying in the open have been destroyed by natural elements, as well as rats and insects; thus one need not be surprised at the devastation
caused by a few days of heavy monsoon showers. Statistics about the extent of crops destroyed vary, but some months ago, according to one estimate obtained through the Right to Information Act, improper storage and negligence had led to 14,000 tonnes of rice, wheat and paddy becoming totally unfit for the distribution system. It is also evident that the government had failed to take any action to fix responsibility for such largescale destruction — despite an assurance given to Parliament by the agriculture minister in August last year. The minister had then told Parliament that a team would be constituted to probe the matter and corrective action taken. But nothing was done, and there was not even a hint of an apology from the minister for not delivering on a promise made to Parliament. According to another estimate, foodgrain stocks worth a mind-boggling Rs 50,000 crores have been destroyed over the past few years due to negligence and the absence of proper storage facilities.
It is nothing less than a shame that in spite of its impressive technological and scientific advancement, India has still not been able to devise a scientific way to store foodgrain or to handle its distribution in all kinds of weather. There is talk now of sending a delegation to China to examine how that country, which too is plagued by the problem of floods and overflowing rivers, handles this problem. The Food Corporation of India is mandated to maintain “a satisfactory level of operational and buffer stocks of foodgrain to ensure national food security.” Should it not be held responsible for such wanton destruction of the country’s food wealth? How can any democracy, or any country which considers itself civilised, condone destruction of Rs 50,000 crores of food in a few years? And what kind of food security are we talking about when India ranks 66th out of 88 countries in global hunger index: a country where one child in four goes to bed hungry? The FCI’s efforts, such as they are, appear grossly inadequate, even in the much-heralded public-private partnership initiative to build storage capacity — for which the government, inexplicably, reduced funds in the 11th Five-Year Plan.
There is talk of a Food Security Bill being introduced in the coming Monsoon Session of Parliament. This will work only if the implementing authority is made accountable for ensuring that food reaches every Indian at a reasonable price. It is disheartening that till now both the Government of India as well as its agriculture minister have shown a dog-in-the-manger attitude when it comes to providing the poor with food. Do they really prefer to see the grain rot rather than give it away to starving people in their own country? Punjab’s agriculture minister had requested the Centre, specifically agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, to distribute the rotting grain lying in the open free to the poor, but he was totally ignored. There is a lot that the government can do if it is really interested in not letting the grain that cannot be stored for want of capacity simply rot in the open — for one, it can still introduce a food-for-work programme under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.