High Court asks govt if it is ready to implement Food Security Act

Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 21

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has asked the state government to file an affidavit stating whether it wants to implement the National Food Security Act, 2013.

The directions were issued by a division bench of the High Court following public interest litigation by Tariq Ali Najar.

Najar in his PIL filed through counsel SA Rathore had sought distribution of ration and essential commodities by the government to the people on the basis of requirement and as per the 2011 Census.

The petitioner had further submitted that the present scheme of providing 35 kg ration per family per ration card was insufficient, especially for those families with large size.

As the matter came up before the bench yesterday, Advocate General Riyaz Jan submitted that the J&K Government had already initiated the process of implementing the National Food Security Act, 2013.

Jan, however, stated that the J&K Government was currently receiving food grains as per the 2001 Census for 99.45 lakh people as against the population of 101.44 lakh registered in the 2001 Census, which was insufficient to meet the present size of the population.

Assistant Solicitor General SA Makru representing the Union Government submitted that under the National Food Security Act allocation of food grains to states who had implemented the Act was made under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).

He said the Government of India was ready to allocate food grains to the J&K as per 2011 population estimates once it implements the National Food Security Act and it (Centre) has already requested the J&K Government to complete the selection process/identification of the beneficiaries as per the Act.

On the other hand, in their reservations, the petitioners as well as the J&K Government submitted that the National Food security Act, 2013 covered only 75 per cent of the rural population where as the 50 per cent of the urban population would be covered under the TDPS.

“With J&K having limited agricultural resources and food grain reserves, where from the rest of the population will get food grains,” the petitioners submitted in their response to the High Court.

After hearing all the sides, the High Court directed the state government to file an affidavit stating if it was ready to implement the National Food security Act, 2013.