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Friday, March 26, 2010 (21:16:30) |
| Tags : Communist Party of India-Marxist, Food Security Bill, Food |
Food security bill will create food insecurity: CPI-M |
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| New Delhi: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) today termed the Food Security Bill in its present form a "travesty of food security" and said it will create food insecurity in the country.
The party asked the government to withdraw "this anti-poor bill" and come up with a legislation for a universal public distribution system with entitlement of at least 35 kg of food grain at Rs.2 a kg.
"Instead of enhancing entitlements, it reduces them as follows: present quota of 35 kg is cut to 25 kg; Antodaya entitlement is not specified at all; APL (Above Poverty Line) cardholders, i.e. those earning more than Rs.12 a day, are totally eliminated," the party said in a statement here, a day after its politburo meeting.
The party said even the price of the reduced quota is not fixed, and objected to the proposal of cash transfer of subsidy, which it said "will mean putting consumers at the mercy of the market at a time when food inflation is extraordinarily high".
"Worst of all, it accepts the totally flawed estimates of poverty by the Planning Commission as the basis of entitlement which excludes vast numbers of the poor from the subsidised food entitlements.
"In a disturbing addition, the draft bill wants specific identification of BPL even in presently universalised programmes such as NREGA, ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme), and mid-day meal schemes, which is unwarranted and unnecessary unless the government has a future plan of curbing universal access to these schemes," it added. (IANS) |
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