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The National Food Security Bill, 2011, has a "narrow vision" and is "grossly inadequate" to provide legal guarantee of protection from hunger to millions of poor, the Right to Food Campaign (RTF) has said in its comments to a Parliamentary panel.
In the backdrop of a deep agrarian crisis, the Bill has no provisions related to agriculture or for decentralised procurement and storage of foodgrains, the backbone for an effective public distribution system, the RTF said in its submission to the Standing Committee of Parliament, which invited comments till February 20.
The RTF is an umbrella organisation of food activists and NGOs and has members such as Ms Aruna Roy of the National Advisory Council to the UPA, economist Prof Jean Dreze and Principal Adviser to the Commissioners of the Supreme Court, Mr Biraj Patnaik.
The Bill limits food security "to distribution of foodgrains" and that too only to a selected population and some "token entitlements for certain groups such as children, people living in starvation and migrants", it said.
To ensure food security, the Bill needs to focus on the three As -- “availability, accessibility and absorption.
For one, it "must simultaneously address production, decentralised procurement and storage and distribution related issues". The RTF says the Bill must address structural inequities in access and control over productive resources in agriculture as also provisions against exports and imports of foodgrain, unless in exceptional circumstances.
Coming down heavily on "targeting" as opposed to "universalising" the right to food, the RTF feels that "given the extent of hunger, malnutrition and poverty in the country, it is impossible to target benefits to a few, without large exclusion errors".
Also, the proposed "highly cenrtalised" decision-making process, with little or no role for Panchayati Raj institutions, local bodies and even State governments, needs to be corrected. A grievance redressal mechanism, too, needs to be put in place.
The Bill, cleared by the Union Cabinet, promises subsidised foodgrains to 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of the urban population on the basis of targeting "priority" households. Reports say this year's Budget is likely to allocate Rs 5,000 crore for the purpose.
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