[Reader-list] Reg: Right to Food - Set 2

[Rakesh Iyer]

Link: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/against-the-foodgrain/803727/0
<http://www.indianexpress.com/news/against-the-foodgrain/803727/0>
Article:

Against the foodgrain

*N K Singh <http://www.indianexpress.com/columnist/nksingh/>**Tags : n k
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**Posted: Wed Jun 15 2011, 03:26 hrs**
**The UPA 2 government has completed its first two years in office. The Food
Security Bill continues to elude consensus. Every now and then there is a
new announcement that a comprehensive bill is round the corner. In the
meantime, foodgrain rots and hunger remains unabated. Uncertainty surrounds
even the existing unsatisfactory arrangements. So, what are the key issues
that need to be resolved?

First and foremost, the scope of the bill. Should this only cover those who
are below poverty line (BPL) or should it also cover the above poverty line
(APL) families? After all, the right to food is the universal right of every
citizen. It is true that those who are BPL, who are on the edge of hunger,
must be our overriding priority. But how can we call something a “right” if
everyone does not have it?

Second, what is the methodology which should be used to define BPL? Should
this only be based on minimum calorific intake without regard to nutritional
efficiencies? It is well-recognised that unless the entitlement covers clean
drinking water, sanitation, hygiene and primary healthcare, along with
deficiencies of micro nutrients, the absorptive capacity for food would be
seriously compromised. So the question is, what do we want to achieve from
the Food Security Bill? After all, it must enable every child, woman and man
to have an opportunity for a healthy and productive life beyond mere access
to calories required for existence. Therefore, the food security legislation
should aim at overcoming the challenges of food security without losing
sight of the broad definition and components of food security that have come
to be accepted across the world. The interrelation between food and social
security cannot be ignored and any effort of guaranteeing one without the
rest will render food security ineffective

Third, even in the traditional sense in which poverty has been imperfectly
defined, there are widely varying estimates of the number of poor people. As
far as the number of BPL families are concerned, the Wadhwa committee
estimates the number to be 20 crore, the state governments estimate the
number as 10.5 crore, the Tendulkar committee put it as 9.5 crore, Arjun
Sengupta committee 20 crore, N.C. Saxena 12.5 crore and the Planning
Commission puts the figure at 7 crore. Recently, of course, the Planning
Commission is inclined to accept the Tendulkar committee report which is
half of the number suggested by the Wadhwa committee and is slightly below
the state government estimates.

Of course, the financial implications vary dramatically from Rs 82,000 crore
under the Wadhwa committee to Rs 18,000 crore under the Tendulkar committee,
over and above the present allocations for subsidies. Until recently,
poverty was estimated in India by measuring calorie intake, though the
Tendulkar committee moved away from that to a broader definition.
Methodology for the computation of poverty needs to be restructured by
taking into account the new multi-dimensional approach of estimating
poverty.

Fourth, related to the above is the issue of whether the entitlement should
be 25 kg or 35 kg of foodgrain a month. There could also be a differentiated
approach in which only those in the BPL category receive 35 kg, others like
APL families receive the lower entitlement of 25 kg only. Price, no doubt,
everyone has assumed, should be Rs 3 per kg.

Fifth, a major unresolved issue is the distribution modality since the bill
will entail a massive increase in the quantum of foodgrain. Reliance on the
public distribution system alone may prove inadequate. Everyone is familiar
with the inherent leakages in the existing PDS in terms of quality of
foodgrain, bogus ration cards, hoarding, profiteering and multiple ways of
denying food to the powerless and disadvantaged. Of course, if the current
PDS is to be continued, it will also entail enormous problems of food
procurement, storage, transportation and all the other attendant evils we
are fully familiar with. So should we not think of more innovative ways of
administering food subsidy?

Two types of schemes are being increasingly mentioned. The first is a coupon
system in which the intended beneficiary receives a food coupon which
carries money value and gives him the option to buy foodgrain from any shop
which gives him satisfaction. This creates competition between different
outlets and will certainly improve the quality and enlarge consumer choice,
minimise misuse and improve productivity. There is the second approach, that
is, direct cash transfer by opening a bank account in the name of the
intended beneficiary and transferring the money directly to the bank
account. Countries like Brazil, which have experimented with conditional
cash transfer, have achieved success in administering such schemes more
efficiently.

Sixth, production and livelihood of food producers, from the household to
the national level, constitute the core element of food security. You cannot
provide food to people if you do not first ensure that food is produced in
adequate quantities. And to ensure adequate food production, the livelihood
of food producers must be ensured. With continuing high growth in population
and the stagnant area under foodgrain production, the right to food can only
be ensured with a sustained growth in productivity levels, increased food
procurement and by containing the colossal wastage of food.

Enacting a Food Security Act cannot be postponed. What kind of superpower
can India hope to be if it cannot address the basic issue of starvation and
hunger? We cannot afford to hasten slowly.

The writer is a Rajya Sabha MP

*


-- 
Rakesh Krishnamoorthy Iyer
MM06B019
Final Year, Dual Degree Student
Dept. of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering
IIT Madras, Chennai - 600036
Phone no: +91-9444073884
E-mail ID: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com