Govt looking at Guest Control Order to avoid ‘ostentatious behaviour'

The ruling Congress-led United Progressive Alliance is yet to table its promised National Food Security Bill in Parliament. But that has not stopped it from mooting a Guest Control Order, aimed at reducing wastage of foodgrains and “avoiding ostentatious behaviour”.

“A country that ranks No. 67 in the Global Hunger Index (among 84 countries; the lowest rank corresponding to the most hungry) cannot waste so much grain. Whether to address this issue through a legislation or a national awareness campaign is something we need to discuss further,” the Union Minister of Food and Public Distribution, Mr K.V. Thomas, told presspersons here on Monday.

He was speaking following a meeting on the issue attended by the Congress Member of Parliament, Mr Rajeev Shukla; the National Advisory Council Member, Dr N.C. Saxena; and former Governor of Uttarakhand, Mr Sudarshan Agarwal, besides senior Ministry officials.

Among the ideas proposed at the meeting was to promulgate a nation-wide Guest Control Order limiting the number of guests and dishes served in social gatherings. A reference was made to the Assam Guest Control Order of 1966, which banned any person from preparing, serving or distributing foodstuffs “to more than 25 persons (including the host or hosts) at ordinary parties”, with this limit set at 100 persons for “marriages or funerals”.

A few other States, too, have sought to introduce similar curbs. The Jammu & Kashmir Government, as recently as 2004, passed an order restricting the serving of food in marriage receptions to 250 people in the case of vegetarian and 200 for non-vegetarian cuisine. The order was stayed by the High Court.

One of the participants at the meeting even suggested adoption of the “one-dish law” for all social gatherings, currently implemented in some provinces of Pakistan. This law provides for stern action, including confiscation of excess food items.

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