Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre is out to distribute largesse. Digest this! It does not mind if the underprivileged get double or triple subsidy on food amount, even if it eats into Government funds.
All India Congress Committee’s special representative on Centre’s ambitious Food Security Bill Prem Chandra Mishra on Thursday found nothing wrong if the “poor” end up receiving dual benefits under two parallel-running schemes — one Punjab Government’s Atta-Dal scheme, and another Centre’s proposed Food Security Act. Mishra, at the very onset, made it clear that the already implemented scheme of the SAD-BJP led State Government — the Atta-Dal Scheme under which the identified BPl families are provided subsidised wheat and pulses — would not be discontinued, if the State Government wanted, after implementation of the Food Security Act.
“The subsidy on atta and pulses provided by the Punjab Government under their Atta-Dal Scheme is given by the Centre,” said Mishra, who was in the city as a part of his tour to the States of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab to create awareness on the Ordinance signed by President Pranab Mukherjee on July 5. Earlier maintaining that the two schemes did not clash, Mishra later agreed that the beneficiaries of both the schemes would be the same, and the amount involved in both the schemes would go from Centre’s pocket.
“One should not mind if a poor gets double or triple subsidies…rather we should welcome it,” said Mishra, adding that all that was required is “better coordination between the State and the Centre”. For implementing the Food Security Bill, the food subsidy is estimated to be about Rs 1,24,724 crore for the year 2013-14. At the proposed coverage of entitlement, total estimated annual foodgrains requirement is pegged at 612.3 lakh tonnes with the estimated coverage of two-thirds of the country’s population.
Expressing hope that Punjab Government would sincerely implement the Food Security Ordinance to guarantee food to the weaker sections of society, Mishra said that opposition to this ambitious Ordinance would show which parties are against providing “big gift” to those who failed to get proper food. Assuring that the quality of food will be maintained, Mishra pointed out that the Bill has the provisions of setting up State and district level grievance redressal committees, call centres, helplines, and a dedicated officer for the purpose.
“Provision of social audits and Vigilance commission to ensure transparency and accountability has also been provided. In case of non-compliance or faulting, the penalty will be imposed on authority concerned,” he said, adding that sincere effort had been made to do way with all the loopholes of the existing Public Distribution System (PDS) by implementing this Act.
Denying that the Ordinance had been introduced just six months before lok Sabha elections with an eye on votes, Mishra maintained that the Congress did not attempt to take political mileages out of the social sector schemes. “The UPA Government is determined to eradicate hunger and malnourishment by providing high quality food to the poor at affordable prices. And one should not do politics on welfare schemes,” he added. Mishra said that UPA will roll out the food security scheme across the country in the next six months, and the Ordinance would be tabled in the lok Sabha on the first day of the Monsoon Session, beginning August 5. Covering 67 per cent of the country’s population, including 75 per cent rural and 50 per cent urban population, the Ordinance had the provision under which the Centre would provide transportation, storage and financial help to the State Governments, Mishra added.