Implementation of Food Security Act in North-Eastern States reviewed

All North-Eastern States will start Implementation by next March

New Delhi, November 12, 2013: A meeting with Food Ministers of North Eastern States including Sikkim was held on yesterday at Guwahati to review the preparedness for implementation of the National Food Security Act. Various aspects of Strengthening of Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) such as creation of additional storage facilities, doorstep delivery of foodgrains and computerization of TPDS were also discussed in detail, keeping in view the special circumstances of the North Eastern States in terms of terrain, accessibility, transportation of foodgrains, storage facilities etc.

The meetings was chaired by Prof. K.V.Thomas, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Food Ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Tripura attended the meeting, besides the Principal Secretaries/Secretaries in charge of Food and Public Distribution in all the NE States and other senior officers.

State Food Ministers informed about the steps being taken to implement the Act in their State an almost all the States indicated that implement the Act in their State and almost all the States indicated that implementation will begin by March, 2014 or latest by middle of 2014. They also raised State specific issues, mainly relating to impact of the Act on allocation of foodgrains and financial assistance from Central Government especially for intra-State transportation, handling of foodgrains and FPS dealers’ margin.

Prof. Thomas explained that not only allocation of foodgrains of all the states under National Food Security Act, would be higher than what they are currently receiving for BPL and AAY households under existing TPDS, it will also be at highly subsidized prices of Rs. 2/3 per Kg for wheat/rice whereas existing issue price for BPL allocation is much higher. Further, the Act provides for protection of average offtake of food grains of last 3 years. The existing APL households which are not likely to be covered under NFSA may also be covered out of the tide over allocation to be provided at existing APL prices to protect the average4 offtake. Therefore in terms of foodgrains allocation, all the States stand to gain. He also stressed on the need to stop leakages and requested expeditious implementation of computerization. On providing assistance to States for transportation etc., he stated that the Central Government is aware of the specific problems of NE States and all aspects will be kept in mind while deciding norms in this regard. On creation of additional storage facilities, he requested State Food Ministers to personally monitor the ongoing projects to resolve the issues hampering progress, if any. He also requested State Governments to create intermediate storage facilities, which is now included as a permissible activity under MGNREGA.