Seminar debates National Food Security Act
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 20 2013 :
While wel-coming the enactment of Na- tional Food Security Bill spea-kers at a one-day seminar ob- served that implementation and not merely launch of the noble project would be deciding fac-tor on the success of the am- bitious programme of the UPA Government.
The seminar entitled 'The Implementation of Food Security Act: Issues and Chal- lenges' was organised by the Irabot Celebration Committee at Manipur Press Club today.
As chief guest of the seminar's opening function, former member of Manipur State Fi-nance Commission Prof M Iboton Singh said that only through judicious implementation the Act could serve its purpose of eliminating the problem of food insecurity, a common phenomenon for many of the common citizens.
Taking into account the benefits supposed to be provided by the Act every sec- tion of the society need to ex-tend cooperation to ensure its judicious implementation, said the chief guest.
As a guest of honour The People's Chronicle editor Wa-hengbam Tiken that inspite of the Act's noble nature confor-ming to the prescribed criteria and selection of beneficiaries would be problematic.
Moreover with the PDS mechanism in Manipur a com-plete failure it is unlikely that the Act would be able to benefit the common citizens of the State, said the editor citing long queues to procure a few kilograms of rice from the mobile sale units of CAF& PD currently in operation to substantiate his contention that the PDS mechanism has not be able to live upto the expectation of the people.
CPI State secretary Dr M Nara Singh, who also atten-ded as a guest of honour, noted that the Act would have been more meaningful had the issue been discussed in detail in the Parliament.
Alleging sectorial aspect in the launch of the Act, he opined that effectiveness of its implementation would be mo-derate as many States do not have Congress party in governance.
Reacting strongly against the UPA Government's stand that Congress-ruled States will implement the Act the former Minister cautioned that such partial policy cannot ensure success of the noble project.
Suggesting that priority should be accorded towards streamlining the PDS mechanism in Manipur as the com- mon citizens unable to access PDS items would eventually impede effective implementation of the National Food Se- curity Act, Dr Nara said recent incident of PDS rice being smuggled into Myan-mar testifies failure of the PDS system in the State.
In case effective measure is not initiated there is strong possibility that the Food Security Act would only serve to bulge wealth of unscrupulous elements including mis- use of the food items by the agents and contractors, he added.
The morning technical session held with Prof Iboton as the moderator had Manipur University Economics Department's Dr Chinglen Meis- nam elaborating on 'The Food Security Act 2013 & The Extent of Hunger and Malnutrition' and Thoubal College Economics Department Assistant Professor Dr L Debendra on 'Food Security in India: Some Macro Issues and Challenges'.
The afternoon session held with Dr MC Arun of MU as the moderator had Dr Dhanabir Laishram deliberate on 'Food Security Act and Neo-Liberal Economic Policy of India' .
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