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SC raps govt for ignoring order on rotting grains
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Wednesday, 01 September, 2010, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it was an order, not a suggestion, to the government to distribute free of cost food grains rotting in godowns. “Tell your ministers that distribution of food grains was part of our order and not just an observation,” a two-judge bench of justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma told Additional Solicitor-General (ASG) Mohan Parasaran, who represented the agriculture ministry.
The court expressed its anguish at the government’s casual attitude to reports of millions of tonnes of grains rotting in the open. The SC asked the government what was the better choice – to waste food grains or give it free of cost to the poor and the hungry?
The bench said the food and agriculture ministry was not serious about solving the contradiction of overflowing granaries and widespread hunger, and recalled a recent remark of agriculture minister Sharad Pawar that sugar prices may continue to rise before falling in near future. “This is an open invitation for hoarding. You are creating artificial scarcity,” the bench said.
The apex court on August 12 ruled that the Centre give away food grain to the hungry and poor, instead of allowing it rot. However, Pawar on August 19 said: “Distributing grains for free will not be possible.” The Supreme Court said the government should consider whether it could give it away at a lower rate or for free to the poor.
The bench passed the latest direction while addressing a public interest litigation filed by People’s Union for Civil Liberties on rampant corruption in the public distribution system and rotting food grains in FCI godowns, even though many in the country go without food.
Parasaran tried to answer by saying the problem had arisen due to record procurement of food grains in the last three years, but the Bench gave him a simple example – if your refrigerator has the capacity to store 10 bricks of ice cream, will you buy 100 bricks and allow 90 to melt? “Procure as much as you can store properly without wasting it,” the bench said, and asked the ASG to take instructions from the highest level, that is Pawar himself, rather than depending on bureaucrats.
“We will keep aside affidavits and come back with some radical suggestions,” the ASG said, and sought six days time from the bench to respond. The bench fixed the matter for hearing on Monday.
In the Lok Sabha, the opposition clamoured for the government to come out with a statement on how it intended to give food to the poor. A reluctant Pawar had to be persuaded to offer a response. While saying the government would honour the SC and high courts, Pawar said he would respond only after studying the court’s proceedings.
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