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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | No food security in the time of disaster-Iftikhar Gilani

No food security in the time of disaster-Iftikhar Gilani

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published Published on Jul 8, 2013   modified Modified on Jul 8, 2013
-DNA


Ordinance promulgated by UPA rules out aid during calamities - natural or man-made.

Even as the food security ordinance became part of the statute book after presidential assent on Friday, the Congress and government allayed fears of the law having any effect on the financial management of the country.

Armed with figures, Congress chief spokesman Ajay Maken along with food minister KV Thomas explained that the scheme, which entailed merging of various government programmes such as the ICDS and mid-day meal, would actually cost the exchequer to Rs 1,24,727 crore - just an additional Rs 23,800 crore expenditure.

Ending suspense, President Pranab Mukherjee signed the ordinance on Friday, but not before giving jitters to the government and the Congress. Thomas was not sure of Mukherjee's assent when he addressed the media at the Congress headquarters earlier in the day.

The politics apart, experts have mostly welcomed granting legal right to people to obtain food, a basic necessity. But the worrisome feature is that Section 52 of the ordinance takes away this right when the people need it the most: in the midst of disasters like the recent floods in Uttarakhand. The Section reads: "The Central Government, or as the case may be the State Governments, shall not be liable for any claim by persons belonging to the priority households or general households or other groups entitled under this Act for loss, damage, or compensation; whatsoever, arising out of failure of supply of foodgrains or meals when such failure of supply is due, either directly or indirectly, to Force Majeure conditions, such as, war, flood, drought, fire, cyclone, earthquake or any act of God."

Confronted on this clause, the food minister said a provision of paying cash has been added for situations like disruption of supplies due to disasters or war. In contrast, the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act entitles victims of disasters free rations for three months.

Maken said the food security measure was a game changer to provide cheap food grains to 82 crore people. Asked about the haste to bringing in the ordinance, he shot back: "This may be a life saver, life changer for many people... So delay even by a single minute or day; God knows how many lives it could cost." He, however, agreed it will take another six months to put in mechanism in place and to feel the impact of the measure.

He reminded that the Congress had promised to enact this law in its manifesto in 2009. He also said that in future the government could bring edible oil and pulses under the ambit of the Act as "just distributing rice and wheat is not enough" for nutrition.

Maken rejected the contention of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav that the ordinance is anti-farmer and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa's charge that it is a political gimmick. He said that disbursement of subsidised grains to 67% population would mean greater procurement at the minimum support price.


DNA, 6 July, 2013, http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1857546/report-no-food-security-in-the-time-of-disaster


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