Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 25: Asserting that the state administration should go into all the aspects before implementing National Food Security Act in Jammu and Kashmir, Member Legislative Council Firdous Tak today urged Governor NN Vohra not to act in haste and carve out special provision for the people living in mountainous areas who were already getting ration on soul basis.
In a letter to the Governor NN Vohra today, the legislator said that more than 62000 souls of Kishtwar district will be deprived of the benefit in case the Act is implemented in its present form without providing any safeguard for the rationees who are getting food-grains on soul basis. Apart from this 95,000 migrants and 81000 Gujjars and Bakerwal will also be adversely affected with the new act.
He said that mountainous and landlocked areas of Marwah, Warwan, Dachan and Paddar of Kishtwar district were brought under special category under which TPDS rationees of the areas are getting ration as per soul basis at the rate of 13 kgs per soul – a much higher scale than prescribed under NFSA.
As per the departmental statistics 14117 souls of Marwah, 7098 of Warwan, 27064 of Paddar and 14074 of Dachan are presently getting 13 kgs ration on various rates prescribed for different categories of rationees, he said, adding that according to this data more than 62000 souls of this district will be deprived from the benefit and the new provision will further add to their miseries.
Tak said that immediately after the State Cabinet’s decision to implement NFSA in the State he had personally called on the then Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayed, who had assured that the special provision will be kept for the areas like Marwah, Warwan, Dachan and Paddar so that the people are not deprived from the benefit.
The then Chief Minister had also asked the CA&PD Department to seek public response on the issue so as to bring necessary changes in the legislation. “At this stage unrest in growing among the local residents of the area as state administration has decided to go ahead with the implementation of the Act without providing necessary safeguards”, he said.
The PDP legislator urged the Governor to direct administration not to act in haste and instead all aspects be considered before taking such crucial decision.
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