"balanced food" security

As published in "Free press Journal" Indore edition dated 3rd Feb.2011

BALANCED FOOD SECURITY

The National Advisory Committee under the chairmanship of Smt. Sonia Gandhi is correctly insisting on its recommendations of covering 75 % of country’s population under the food security net. Food is most basic ingredient of human life after air and water, which are more or less available freely. Food does not only constitute wheat or rice , instead a reasonably priced balanced food plate should be ensured for all citizens, be rich or poor. On the one hand you will provide wheat/rice (carbohydrate ) at Rs. 3/- per kg. to poor and General household and leave them to buy the cereal (protein) component from the market at Rs. 100 per kg , milk at 50 per liter, what purpose it is going to serve. Dal – Bhat or Dal – Roti have always been an essential part of our food requirement. Food should be considered as fundamental right of every citizen.

Our PDS has always failed in leak -proof distribution of its allotment to the intended beneficiaries. Such large gap in food prices between subsidized rationing system and open market induce black-marketing of food quota. After implementing the food security bill in whatever form ,government will become further insensitive to the open market food prices , which will make the life of people specially middle and upper middle class miserable.

Hence , what is required is to ensure the availability of food items to all citizens at a reasonable prices. Food items should not be left to the open market mechanism alone. Government should watch the production pattern and marketing and take proactive measures to maintain the availability of food items in the market. The essential items of food basket should be identified and any sudden spurt of their prices should be dealt with immediately.

BHARAT SHARMA
C-44/8 , BARGAD
Rishinagar Extension , Ujjain