The CPI(M) Politburo on Friday accused the PMO and the Parliamentary panel headed by Shanta Kumar of trying to dilute the Food Security Act. In a statement issued here, the left party said the report of the Shanta Kumar committee “prepared under the guidance of PMO” was a blueprint to destroy India’s pubic distribution.
The party’s Politburo alleged that this report of the Parliamentary Panel headed by BJP veteran Shanta Kumar was a ploy to hand over the country’s resources to market forces. “CPI(M) strongly opposes these recommendations which will eliminate whatever little has been achieved in addressing the continuing problem of undernourishment and malnutrition among India ‘s population. It will badly hit India’s farmers and also affect the interests of food deficit States.
“Under pressure the UPA Government was forced to bring the Food Security Act (FSA) which though highly inadequate covered 67 per cent of the population. The Shanta Kumar Committee wants to slash this down to 40 per cent. This will make crores of people food insecure by bringing down the amount of foodgrain to be distributed from over 60 million tonnes to below 40 million tones,” said the statement of politburo.
CPI(M) alleged that this report is move to destroy the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and its huge network across the country to facilitate private companies in the field. CPI(M) will oppose all moves to amend and dilute the FSA on the basis of these retrograde amendments. It will mobilise the people and continue its struggle for a universal public distribution system and against targeting based on fraudulent estimates of BPl and APl, said the party.