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Editorial Posted On Thursday, July 29, 2010 | The UPA government is keen on enacting Food Security Act. Its contents are not clearly defined at this stage. However it aims at ensuring that no one sleeps hungry in India, a very noble and desirable aim. However having an Act is one thing and getting the results through proper implementation is another. The proposal that the poor be given direct cash subsidy under the food security law when grain is not available, as probably suggested by the Planning Commission, did not find favour with the National Advisory Council (NAC), the supreme policy body of the UPA.
Recently there was a discussion on this subject in the Saturday Forum of the M P Administrative Academy. It was realized that the food security involves '4Ps' viz. Production (increase), Procurement (Coordinated), Preservation (to avoid loss and wastage) and finally an effective Public Distribution System. Food security is one of the major human rights along with (clean) water security. The shortcomings in all these four steps are well known. A combined effort of the politicians, bureaucrats and down the line workforce would be necessary to remove these shortcomings. NGOs and Corporate world could share in this large effort.
Most of the deaths and suicides are linked with hunger or moneylenders' threats. In actual practice most of the deaths are not through hunger but Malnutrition. A major point that is usually missed out is that while food is available, it is the purchasing power of the poor that is the real culprit. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) that is aimed at providing guaranteed employment for 100 days is supposed to provide this purchasing power. Unfortunately a major part of the huge funds allocated is either misused or siphoned off and does not reach the needy.
Any serious implementation of such a path-breaking Act has to take into account all these aspects. Party politics has no place in such an endeavor. Once it is made into law one can take a value judgement and implement it even in stages, as was done in the case of NREGA.
AB Mehta
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Friday, September 03, 2010