Food security

An article by Brinda Karat on the proposed food security law criticises the government for limiting the benefits only for BPL families and seeks delinking of food allocations to the broad poverty estimates done by the Planning Commission. “At a time when India has the largest population who suffer hunger and food deprivation in the world, to limit a food security law to only BPL families is a cruel example of the rhetoric of inclusive growth actually concealing a policy that reduces entitlements. As is well known and documented, a large section of the poor are excluded from the BPL category,” she says.

The article argues for a revision in the definition of poverty and a review of the methodologies for poverty estimation. “It is a national scandal and shame that whereas in the last five years the number of dollar billionaires has increased from nine to fifty three and where inequalities have grown, the poverty line in monetary terms is calculated at just 11.80 rupees for an adult in rural India and 17.80 rupees for urban India and any one with an income above that is considered above the poverty line and ineligible for government subsidies,” it says. The article also wonders whether the specific proposals to provide 25 kilos of foodgrains at three rupees a kilo to all BPL families under the proposed act will actually benefit the hungry? “Today around six crore families, identified as BPL, are eligible for subsidised foodgrains. 2.5 crore of these families are further categorised as Antodaya families considered the poorest among the poor and are entitled to get 35 kilos of wheat at two rupees a kilo per month. The day the act, as outlined by the president, comes into force, their entitlement will be cut by 10 kilos. Secondly they will have to pay one rupee more per kilo of wheat.”

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