National Food Security Act
- Sangai Express Editorial :: January 09, 2014 -

The National Food Security Act and its provisions certainly sound sweet and would be godsend for millions of people.

The Act is a bold and ambitious one if its stated objective of providing food grains at nominal prices to the teeming millions of the country’s poor is anything to go by.

Hunger and starvation would soon be history in India provided the Act can be implemented in letter and spirit.

The Act promises to provide wheat at Rs 2 per Kg, rice Rs 3 per Kg and other coarse grains at Rs 1 per Kg. Poorer sections of people would get 7 Kgs of food grains per head every month.

Notably, 70 to 80 per cent of the country’s huge population are said to be poor and it was this figure which impelled the Government to enact National Food Security Act 2013.

The State Cabinet has already decided to start implementing the Act from March this year and the Government is busy preparing to get things in their proper positions so that there is neither hitches nor glitches when the Act is implemented.

Out of the State’s total population of 27 lakh or so, 23 lakh are estimated to come under the Act’s ambit. Noble as its objectives are, the State Government seem to be working with full vigour.

It was a very rare case in the country’s parliamentary history that the National Food Security Bill was supported by almost all the political parties, irrespective of opposition or ruling parties.

Perhaps, National Food Security Act is the largest Government policy of public food security in the whole world.

India need to be cautious and well prepared when it comes to its implementation for many countries, much richer than India, are watching with amazement.

Even if there are many parameters for one to be eligible for the Act, one common criteria is poverty.

One crucial parameter is that families who own four-wheeler automobiles are not eligible to enjoy benefits of the Act.

The irony of the situation is, some two-wheelers/bikes cost as much as Rs two lakh and a sizeable number of such expensive bikes are seen on the roads of Manipur.

At the same time, many people are also driving second hand cars which cost less than a lakh.

Given these contradictions, the idea of differentiating beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries based on whether one owns a four-wheeler or not cannot be perfect parameter in Manipur. Hopefully, the authorities can arrive at a consensus.

One critical question is regarding transportation of NFSA commodities into the State in time for it is everybody’s knowledge that Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati highway is the only highway throughout the country along which maximum number of bandhs and blockades are imposed.

The highway is also notorious for robbery, abduction and murder of transporters. The question of storehouse where the food grains would be stocked also demands serious consideration.

Imphal-Jiribam highway, on the other hand, is anything but highway.

If the State must rely on Imphal-Jiribam highway, the ambitious Act would surely get mummified and it would not feed hungry stomachs but generate a daily dose of headlines for Imphal based newspapers.

It was not long ago serpentine queues of loaded trucks were seen on roads because they have no place for unloading.

Though challenges are galore, the Government cannot afford forgo such a noble and ambitious Act. This does not mean the Act would fail in Manipur.

It is just the highlight of some unmistakeable challenges and problems facing the State vis-a-vis NFSA.