Taking the Government to task, CPI MP Prabodh Panda questioned the Government’s decision to promulgate the Food Security Ordinance just 20 days before the commencement of the Parliament Session.
He said the provisions of the Bill were “inadequate and flawed” and demanded that the Government’s amendments to the Bill be sent to Standing Committee for discussion.
“This Bill is not complete in itself. This Bill has ignored some important points of the farmers and the people. So, my point is that those points should be taken into account,” said the lok Sabha MP from Midnapore.
Claiming that basic services like food, education, health, work, social security must be universally available, he demanded a universal Public Distribution System. “This is one of the major flaws in that Ordinance. That is why, I am opposing it,” he said.
Panda quoted a report from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to suggest that the minimum requirement of food grains for an adult was 14 kg per month and 18 kg for minors. He sought to know how people would buy the remaining
quantity of grains from the open market when inflation rate was so high.