For sometime in the past, controversy has raged on the extension of National Food Security Act to the State. The previous Government under Omar Abdullah had declined to implement the Act arguing that it would not be beneficial for the people of the State. It was late Mufti Sayeed who had implemented the Act in the State, of course not without opposition from NC and others in opposition benches.
It is true that some difficulties were created at the initial stage when the Act was introduced and the distribution of ration had to be undertaken under new norms. The Coalition Government had moments of great concern of how to overcome the difficulties that had cropped up. Now the Chief Minister has come out with a new formula of introducing what is called Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Food Entitlement Scheme (MMSFES) to supplement the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and ensure adequate food safety under targeted public distribution system. With the introduction of this scheme, two initiatives will go hand in hand in the State. MMSFES aims at protection and promotion of social well being of its citizens. Under MMSFES all those families with family size of 1 to 6 souls falling under Priority Households (PHH) and Non-Priority Households (NPHH) will get additional food-grains, over and above NFSA entitlement, at the uniform scale of 5 kgs per soul per ration card except for AAY families who are otherwise entitled to receive 35 kgs ration per family irrespective of the family size. This is a laudable step and will bring relief to thousands of families in the State. At the same time, it will put at rest all controversy that had been created in regard to the extension of NFSA to the State.
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