The minister said in an interview the controversy is over reduction of the scale, but the government would assure the people of Kashmir that it won’t create any deficiency of ration and it will be provided as per 100 percent requirement.
“ Under the NFSA, the people in the priority category – more than 60 percent of Jammu and Kashmir’s population – will get an assured supply of ration right at their doorsteps in a hassle-free environment. Any person who is denied ration shall be given the same according to the Food Security Allowance through an inbuilt mechanism which has been incorporated in the Act at State level.”
|| ZAHOOR GULZAR
Minister for Consumer Af- fairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Choudhary Zulfikar Ali said in an interview with the Kashmir Leader news magazine has said that there is a negative campaign. The minister said that in actual the food act is going to benefit the state of Jammu and Kashmir all across and that the people are being misinformed by some political parties who have vested interests in keeping the pot on boil. He said that presently is ministry is collecting data from the people to streamline the system.
Five kg of rice per person is as per the central law but to increase it is the mandate of the government. “ He maintained that he will review this once the CAPD get details from the people and corrective measures will be taken. The minister said in an interview the controversy is over reduction of the scale, but the government would assure the people of Kashmir that it won’t create any deficiency of ration and it will be provided as per 100 per- cent requirement. He added that the government will maintain a reasonable scale of ration keeping in view the topography and other circumstances of the Valley.
Choudhary Zulfikar Ali said that under the NFSA, the people in the priority category more than 60 percent of Jammu and Kashmir’s population will get an assured supply of ration right at their doorsteps in a hassle- free environment. Any person who is denied ration shall be given the same according to the Food Security Allow- ance through an inbuilt mechanism which has been incorporated in the Act at State level.
The whole idea is to put food on table for the poorest of the poor. The minister added that at present, the CAPD is providing ration to a population of 12 lakh people at lower rates. But under the NFSA, a massive portion of the population, 74.13 lakh to be exact, will be get rice at Rs.3 per kg and wheat at Rs.2 per kg. Another 45 lakh people will be provided wheat at Rs. 8 per kg and rice at Rs 10 per kg.
The present regime in Jammu and Kashmir is committed to the welfare of the people and that through this act, the poor and marginalised sections of society will benefit and ration will be provided at highly-subsidised rates.
Giving the details further, he stated that the whole idea is to put food on table for the poorest of the poor. The minister added that at present, the CAPD is providing ration to a population of 12 lakh people at lower rates. But under the NFSA, a massive portion of the population, 74.13 lakh to be exact, will be get rice at Rs.3 per kg and wheat at Rs.2 per kg. Another 45 lakh people will be provided wheat at Rs. 8 per kg and rice at Rs 10 per kg.
The minister said that the ration will be provided to people according to the 2011 censusand that earlier the ration was being provided ac- cording to the 2001 census. He maintained that the present regime in Jammu and Kashmir is committed to the welfare of the people and that through this act, the poor and marginalised sections of society will benefit and ration will be provided at highly-subsidised rates. The Act was passed by parliament in 2013 to provide for food and nutritional security by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices and to enable people to live a life of dignity.
Training guns against the former chief minister Omar Abdullah, Choudary Zulfikar said that it was Omar’s regime which via the cabi- net order had implemented this act in the state and that at present, it is mere cry of a thief which Omar and his NC is making. He maintained that at the district level, grievance cells will be established by the CAPD to ensure that masses get their due share and no one is ignored. The minister added that besides the pregnant ladies which will be given ration free of cost, supplementary diet too would be ensured.
He said that the CAPD is striving to go for the Electronic public distribution. ‘’I want to en- sure that there will be no reduction in the quantum of ration that we re- ceive from the GOI. Rather we will make sure that destitute and poor are given more preference in the new system which will be in vogue from February 2016.’’ Pertinently, Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed earlier has said that his Government was ‘open to suggestions’ on implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the State amid ragging criticism against the law that would deprive lakhs of souls of subsidized ration. “There are no hard and fast rules. We are open to suggestions from opposition as well as Hurriyat who have voiced their concern, to ensure better implementation of the law,” Mufti had said.
At the district level, grievance cells will be established by the CAPD to ensure that masses get their due share and no one is ignored. The minister added that besides the pregnant ladies who will be given ration free of cost, supplementary diet too would be ensured. He said that the CAPD is striving to go for the Electronic public distribution.
