Give rotting grain to poor: SC directs Pawar
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has come down heavily on Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and criticised his statements that rotting food grain cannot be distributed to the poor free of cost.
"Free of cost distribution of food grain was a part of the order. Tell your Minister that distribution of rotting food grains was a part of our order and not just an observation," the court told Additional Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran who was representing Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday.
Pawar had on August 19 claimed that the poor cannot be given the food grains for free.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has said that the poor cannot be given the food grains for free.
"Distributing grains for free will not be possible. The Supreme Court said that the Government should consider whether they can give it at a lower rate or for free to the poor," Pawar had said while reacting to the August 12 order by the apex court to ensure free distribution of food grains to the hungry and poor instead of allowing it to rot in the Food Corporation of India godowns..
Taking a dig at Pawar the court also observed that the "ministry is very quick to declare that sugar prices are going to increase". The court also asked the Central Government to conduct a fresh survey to identify the number of families living below poverty line.
The two-judge bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma had also asked the Government to ensure that fair price shops are kept open throughout the month in its August 12 order.
The bench passed the direction while dealing with a PIL filed by the PUCL on the rampant corruption in public distribution system (PDS) besides rotting of food grains in FCI godowns even though thousands had been going without food in the country.
Following the SC's order, there was uproar in Lok sabha over the issue. MPs belonging to the opposition parties made a submission on the court's directive. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav took on the government, criticising it for disobeying the apex court's directive.
"The FCI godowns are overflowing and people still do not have sufficient to eat. I ask the government to distribute the food grain free of cost," Mulayam Singh said.
BJP president Nitin Gadkari too slammed the government for failing to implement the directive and demanded the Agriculture Minister's resignation.
"As the Supreme Court has passed an order, this is an indication to Agriculture Minister that he should resign," Gadkari said.
Can't implement Supreme Court order on foodgrain: Sharad Pawar
India | NDTV Correspondent | Updated: August 19, 2010 12:37 IST
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"It's not possible to implement the Supreme Court's order," the minister said.
On August 13, the apex court had asked the Centre to consider free distribution of foodgrain to the hungry poor of the country instead of allowing it to rot in Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns. (Read: Give free grains to hungry, don't let them rot: Supreme Court to Govt)
"Give it to the hungry poor instead of it (grains) going down the drain," a bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma told Additional Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran appearing for the Centre.
The bench asked the Centre to ensure construction of a big godown in each state besides separate godowns in different districts and divisions within the states and expedite the computerisation process of PDS system to check pilferage and corruption.
The bench passed the direction while dealing with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the civil rights group PUCL on rampant corruption in Public Distribution System (PDS) besides rotting of food grains in FCI godowns.
The measures suggested by the apex court in an order included:
(a) increase in the quantum of food supply to the population Below Poverty Line
(b) opening fair price shops on all 30 days a month
(c) distribute foodgrain to the deserving population at a very low cost or no cost. (With PTI inputs)
Story First Published: August 19, 2010 12:00 IST
PM takes on Supreme Court over free grain order
India | Arunachalam Vaidyanathan | Updated: September 07, 2010 00:49 IST
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A series of reports, most of them by NDTV, have founds lakhs of tons of food grain wasting away because there aren't enough warehouses for storage. In a country where children die of starvation, and many live with complications born of malnourishment, the inquest of the issue has been extensive. And so in August, the Supreme Court said Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar should figure out how to give away the excess food grain to poor families. Mr Pawar responded by saying what the court had offered was a suggestion, not an order. The court was quick to correct him.
The Prime Minister said on Monday that "an estimated 37 percent live below poverty line. How can free food be given to so many?" The government has informed the court that it has set aside an additional 25 lakh tons for distribution through ration shops.
The court seemed placated by this assurance. The Opposition was not.
"It is more of a humanitarian question. What you do with your excess foodgrain - do you allow it to rot or give it to the poor?" asked the Left's Nilotpal Basu.
The National Advisory Council (NAC), led by Sonia Gandhi, has been focusing on a complex Right to Food campaign.
"We want to know what Sonia Gandhi has to say on this. Her focus is food security, the PM says 37 percent below poverty line can't be given foodgrain, so he is disowning Sonia's agenda," said the BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Both legal experts and politicians say the PM's strong comments weren't really necessary. They say it's not the constitutionality of the issue that's provocative - but the perceived absence of a humanitarian approach.
Story First Published: September 06, 2010 17:43 IST
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