Food Security Act

State Government is seized of negative impact of Food Security Act of 2013 if extended to the State. The Act will not be extended unless the State Legislature gives green signal. In view of the opinion building in the Government and political party circles in the State, there is little chance of the Act being accepted by the State Legislature. Experts taking into account population figures of 2011 census, find that if the Act is implemented 40 lakh souls, that comprise about 32 per cent of the population will be deprived of subsidized ration. That means the purpose of the Bill stands defeated in J&K State. It will be noted that the State Government expressed serious apprehensions from the very beginning when the bill was introduced. On the basis of that, it had reservations in extending the bill to the State.
Not only the National Conference members and legislators but Congress legislators, too, are skeptical about the feasibility of extending the bill to the State. The simple formula shows that only 75 per cent of population of the rural areas and 50 per cent of urban population is to be covered by and provided subsidized ration. As per 2011 Census, the total rural population is nearly 91 lakh and urban population is 34 lakh. In case of implementation of the Food Security Act 2013, only 68.51 lakh in rural areas and 17 lakh in urban areas, totaling about 86 lakh souls will be covered for subsidized food grains.
The State of Jammu and Kashmir is deficit in production of food grains to meet requirements. Along with food deficit, we are also lagging behind in industrialization. This means our dependency on import of food grains from other parts of the country is almost a permanent feature because of limited arable land at the disposal of the State. This generally is the situation in mountainous states. Therefore all precautions need to be taken against scarcity of supply of food grains. Our food grain production is vulnerable to untimely rains and snow or floods owing to the geographical location of the State. As such the Government cannot take risks at least in the area of supply of food grains. Added to these woes is the problem of accessibility. Large segment of State’s population living in upper reaches of the mountains are handicapped by difficult terrain that leaves little prospect for quick mobility. For example, ration items need to be stored in Kargil and Ladakh regions for six months at least owing to inclement weather and snow blocked roads during winter. It should also be remembered that Kashmir valley has only one crop a year production, and Ladakh has still less summer days for cultivating a single crop. Of course in the plains of Jammu, there could be multiple crops but situation in the kandi and hilly regions like Doda, Kishtwar, Bhaderwah, Rajouri, Poonch etc. is not so favourable for multiple harvesting.
There is justification in Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister, Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan asking the Centre to provide 100 per cent coverage in regard to supply of food grains to the State. If the permissible percentage of population in both urban and rural areas is accepted for providing subsidized ration, it leaves 40 lakh people outside the scope of subsidized ration and that computes to 32 per cent of the total population according to the census of 2011. Actually the state is supplying ration to the people on the basis of population figures of the year 2000 which needs to be revised.
Obviously since both coalition partners are unanimous in arriving at the conclusion that extension of the Food Security Act would harm rather than benefit the State, it is in fitness of things that the Government discusses the Act and its implications thoroughly before approaching the Central Government with its case of not being in a position to extend it to the State. A solution to the tangle has to be found but it must be made sure that the Food Security Bill should neither discriminate groups of population nor deprive the people of the benefits expected to accrue by bringing in the Act. We know that UPA leadership, especially its Congress component has been very euphoric about the passage of the Act. They called it their achievement. We may not need to contest their claim, but we do need to analyze the impact of the Act on people and the State. The Government has done well in asking field officials of the Department to conduct survey across the State to assess the persons eligible to be covered under the proposed Legislation. The data thus collected will help in building the roadmap for the implementation or non-implementation of the Act in its present form.

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