Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 29: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has been informed by the Central Government that as the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has implemented the National Food Security Act 2013, it will provide the ration to the State as per the census of the year 2011, benefitting around 26 lakh people who were otherwise left out.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice N P Vasanthakumar and Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey today said: “In that view of the matter S A Makroo Learned ASGI submits that there is no problem with the Government of India to make the supplies of food grains (rice/wheat) to the State of J&K as per census of 2011”.
The court said that State Government has already implemented the provisions of National Food Security Act 2013. “Today N A Beigh learned Sr. Additional Advocate General, submits that the Government of J&K has already implemented the provisions of NFSA 2013”, court said.
Court in order to settle the issue involved in Public Interest Litigation impleaded Union Government as party respondent through its Under Secretary Department of Food and Public Distribution who explained the reason as to why there is decreased of food quantity for the year 2014-15 to the J&K as he made reference of non-implementation of the provisions of NFSA Act, 2013.
The supply of food grains to the State of J&K is distributed on the basis of census conducted in the year 2000 and the demand by the State Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department has been raised that it should be on the basis of census conducted in the year 2011 in view of increase in population.
The population of the State as per the census of 2011 is around 125 lakhs when it was only 99 lakhs in the year 2000 and the State used to have 63067 metric tons per month in terms of previous census while as the requirement after the census of 2011 is of 79560 metric tons, which means that 4.71 lakhs of families are not meet with provisions of food grains required to be distributed by the CA&PD.
The Government of India enacted the NFSA, brought by UPA-II, in 2013. As per the Central Government, allocation of food grains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) is made to the States which have implemented the Act.
The Central Government has made it a pre-condition that unless the NFSA is implemented, the State will not get food grains as per 2011 census.
In the PIL, the petitioner has highlighted that that the NFSA covers only 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population under TPDS.
“The eligible persons will be entitled to receive 5 kgs of food grains per person per month at subsidized price of Rs 3, 2, 1 per kg of rice, wheat and coarse grains but the act is silent regarding the unsubsidized food grains”, court was apprised earlier.
Court closed the PIL with the observation that “having regard to the statements tendered by the learned counsel for the respondents, the issue involved in the PIL is settled. Accordingly PIL closed”.
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