Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and PDS Ram Vilas Paswan on Sunday held a food security panchayat to review the implementation of Food Security Act in Bihar and procurement of food grains by inviting the State Ministers, Government and public representatives as well as other stakeholders but, the Bihar Government refused to attend it.
About 300 representatives of farmers, PDS dealers, rice millers, primary agriculture cooperative societies and others aired their grievances and gave suggestions but, the refusal of the State Government to attend the open house failed to yield any result. Paswan declared that he was still ready to accept the demands of the State and supply food grains as per its requirement but, for this the Bihar Government has to come forward with a request and fulfil the laid down criteria.
State Minister of Food and Consumer Protection Shyam Rajak in a letter to Paswan on Saturday pointed out that no formal discussion was ever made by the Union Minister or by the officials of his Ministry for holding the panchayat. “It would have been appropriate to have a discussion on the need of holding such panchayat and a programme should have chalked out,” said Rajak expressing his inability to attend it.