Govt not sure how many need food security

Ahead of finalising the proposed National Food Security Act (NFSA),the government is struggling first to...

Ahead of finalising the proposed National Food Security Act (NFSA),the government is struggling first to enumerate the actual number of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the country and to identify agencies both at the Centre and the states to take the ‘legal’ responsibility for implementing the Act.

Officials in the government are working overtime to finalise the contours of the proposed Act in the backdrop of the ruling Congress promise in the election manifesto to give ‘legal entitlement’ of getting every below poverty line family 25 kg of rice/wheat at Rs 3 per kg per month. The disparity in figures became all too obvious during a recent meeting of the state representatives with Union food secretary Alka Sirohi. Against 4.02 crore estimated below poverty line households by the Centre,there are about 8.13 crore BPL cardholders. The proposed scheme would also have to cater to about 2.5 crore Antyodaya Anna Yojana beneficiaries,taking the total number of cardholders to about 11 crore. ‘But all these figures are estimated and need to be identified and notified by the government,’ sources said. The NC Saxena Committee for enumerating the below poverty line families is expected to submit its report this week.

Once the number is uniformly and legally fixed and a mechanism for inclusion and deletion is synchronised,the next challenge is fixing the legal accountability of implementing the NFSA. ‘We are working out a plan,where the Centre would be legally obliged to provide the requisite amount of food grains for the purpose and the states would be made responsible for the distribution and outreach to the targeted beneficiaries,so that each cannot pass the buck to the other. Since the right to food will have legal backing,we must ensure a flawless distribution network as otherwise the government will encounter a plethora of court cases. So the bill will incorporate provisions for zero tolerance towards malfunctioning of the PDS and to ensure a foolproof procuring system,’ sources said.

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In a bid to augment sufficient food stocks in the country by increasing productivity,the government is planning to bring in the key features of the national food security mission and the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana under the proposed Acts ambit.

Proposals related to overhauling the food grains storage capacity of the Food Corporation of India and mandating the states to hike their investment in agriculture to the tune of four per cent of their Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) are also being actively considered to be included in the Bill. According to initial estimates,nearly Rs 600 crore would be required to overhaul the storage capacity of some of FCIs major godowns,they pointed out.

Another ticklish issue while finalising the Bill is ensuring adequate buffer stocks to meet the year-round requirements. It may happen that in a given year certain states could witness drought-like situations,compelling the government to resort to imports. ‘All these aspects will have to be closely looked into before it is given the final shape,’ sources reasoned.

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