Food security-jan-2011

National Advisory Council proposed

A broad framework for Food Security

January 2011

Expert Commission on

Food Security

Extends debate;

Meet on Jan. 21 again

A broad framework for Food Security

• Swift initiation of programmes for relieving disadvantaged citizens from chronic hunger and malnutrition. (pregnant and nursing mothers, infants in the age group of zero to three, and other disadvantaged citizens).

• The NAC has stressed that in the design of the delivery system there should be a proper match between challenge and response, (as for example, the starting of community kitchens in urban areas).

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• The NAC has proposed a phased programme of implementation of the goal of public distribution system. This will start with either one-fourth of the districts or blocks in 2011-12 and may cover the whole country by 2015 .

• Required to be developed are the : infrastructure such as grain storage facilities and Village Knowledge Centres and the issue of Household Entitlements Passbooks.

• The NAC is hoping to develop inputs for the proposed Food Security Act covering legal entitlements and enabling provisions based on the principle of common but differentiated entitlements, taking into account the unmet needs of the underprivileged.

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The proposal supported by the Planning Commission,

suggesting that the Tendulkar committee figures for

those living below the poverty line be the cut off for

providing food grains at Rs 3 per kg, could now get

greater weightage.

The favoured proposal also recommends that only

33% of the urban population be provided subsidized

grains and provide differential services to different

income segments. 5

The proposal may allow for the rural population living

above the Tendulkar poverty line -- or Above Poverty

Line beneficiaries -- to get only 25 kg of food grain, at a

higher rate.

The step away from universalisation of the PDS scheme,

if accepted, would radically reduce the number of

beneficiaries of the proposed Act as well as pare down

the government's annual subsidy bill by Rs 15,000-

20,000 crore.

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Planning Commission GOI - India's Nutrition Challenges Full story: www.youtube.com 10 August 2010 New Delhi N.k.sagar _ Sagar Media: Press release -India's Nutrition Challenges -: India faces the development paradox of being in the front ranks of fast growing global economies, with vibrant economic growth rates in stark contrast- around one third of the world's undernourished children are found in India. The above development paradox persists in spite of strong Constitutional legislative, policy, plans and programme commitments that address the multidimensional nature of the nutrition challenges.

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Various national programmes are: • Integrated Child Development Services, • National rural Health Mission, • Janani Suraksha Yojana, • Total Sanitation Campaign, • National Rural drinking water Programme, • Mid Day Meals Scheme, • Target Public Distribution System, • National Horticulture Mission, • MGNREG Scheme, • National food Security Mission and • National Rural Livelihood Missions.

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• Coverage has expanded significantly over past

couple of years.

• India where every third women is undernourished

and every second young child faces the same

deficiency.

• Planning Commission Government of India has

therefore organized Multi stakeholder retreat to

address Nutrition Policy, its planning and

surveillance. 9

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Explore causes of food insecurity in India

• It has been observed that the proportion of the malnourished fell by about one per cent, (FAO,2002) through the nineties in India but their absolute numbers increased by about 18 million.

• It is a problem where a certain sector suffer from a shortage of food in a general climate of rising production. There is a near break down of targeted distribution system in many parts of India.

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Explore causes of food insecurity in India

• Problems of India today are the shrinking of

agrarian and informal sector incomes and

• failures (both due to policy framing as well as

implementation) of support led measures to

combat poverty.

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• In developing countries the poor spend upwards

of 50% of their income on food – the poorest

spend 80% or more. The increase in food prices

has increased not just poverty, but also hunger.

• Some elements that have influenced the rise in

agricultural commodity prices are, among

others: scarce water supplies, production costs,

droughts and climate change. 14

• We need a new food system, a system that

respects political, social, cultural, and

environmental rights as well as the

economic importance of agriculture.

• Governments need to integrate respect for

the universal human right to food in all

economic policy planning.

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Saturday, Nov 27, 2010 Experts group to study NAC proposals on food security Bill

• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has formed an experts group chaired by the chief of Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, C. Rangarajan, to examine the recommendations of the Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council on the proposed food security Bill. Members of the Rangarajan - led group include Chief Economic Adviser to the Finance Ministry Kaushik Basu, Expenditure Secretary Sushma Nath, Agriculture Secretary P.K. Basu, Food Secretary B.C. Gupta, a representative from the Planning Commission and the Registrar-General of India. The panel is expected to give its views in a month.

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• The UPA government would have to settle for a much more realistic and doable version of its showpiece food security law. An expert panel set up by the Prime Minister has pitched for “calibration” — if not dilution — of the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council’s plan for a near-universal food safety net.

• The panel headed by C Rangarajan highlighted constraints of food grain availability and procurement mechanism to contend that the largesse as conceived by NAC might not be feasible.

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Rangarajan panel for diluted version of food security law f e Bureau Posted: Friday, Jan 14, 2011

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Under the NAC proposal, 75% of the country’s

population will get legal entitlement to subsidised food

grain by 2013-14 — 7 kg per person for “priority

households” and 4 kg per person for general

households.

In its report released Thursday, the expert panel said

NAC had underestimated the food grain requirement

for such an ambitious programme and ignored the fact

that if procurement is stepped up beyond a limit

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it could lead to distortions in the open market. The

panel, therefore, recommended an alternative: for the

time being, limit the programme to assured delivery of

food grain at Rs 2/kg for wheat and Rs 3/kg for rice to

the “really needy households.”

Later, depending on the availability of grain, the scheme

could be extended to the rest of the target population,

but with a varying quantum of entitlement.

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NAC, however, sought to stand by its proposals. When contacted, council member NC Saxena said: “If the concern is about food stocks, then why are exports being allowed? Moreover, if stocks are not enough, then we should start procurement from the eastern regions — West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar.” He added that the council would meet January 21 to discuss the issue and take a view on it. “Experience shows that when you push procurement, production also increases because farmers start.

Draft of proposed National Food Security Bill, 2010

Published by India Together

Friday, 01 January 2010

Draft of proposed National Food Security Bill, 2010

Whereas the Government has several schemes for augmenting agricultural production and

ensuring adequate availability of food for different segments, a Bill to provide a statutory

framework to entitle families living below the poverty line to certain minimum quantities of

foodgrains per month through targeted public distribution system. This Act may be called the

National Food Security Act, 2010.

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PROVIDING FOOD SECURITY

Assured Food Security to BPL families:

Every identified BPL family will be entitled to receive every month from the Government 25 kg foodgrains such as rice and / or wheat at subsidized issue prices fixed from time to time in a manner as may be provided under the Rules. Provided that the Government may make additional allocations of foodgrains depending upon availability and at such prices as may be prescribed.

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Targeted Public Distribution System

1) For ensuring supply of wheat and/or rice to identified BPL families as per their entitlement under section 3 of this Act, the Central Government shall allocate required quantity of wheat and/or rice from the central pool to State Governments under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) for distribution to identified BPL families through the network of Fair Price Shops (FPS).

2) For this purpose, TPDS will be implemented jointly by Central and State Governments as provided under Chapter III.

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Identification of BPL families

(2) Guidelines for identification of BPL families would be issued by the Central Government.

The Central Government shall fix the number of the identified BPL families for each State for coverage under the Targeted Public Distribution System on the basis of poverty estimates notified by the Planning Commission of India and relevant census data of Registrar General of India taken as reference for the purpose from time to time. Additional number by States:

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(3) However, if a particular State Government is to extend its support of this kind to certain additional families in the State over and above that provided under section 3 , it may do so but only by separate identification of such additional families and with its own budgetary resources. While doing this, that State Government shall not be competent to reduce the scale of distribution of wheat and/or rice or food security allowance payable in lieu thereof to each identified BPL family as provided by the Government of India under the TPDS.

Accountability & Transparency

• The Central Government and State Governments

shall take necessary steps within their respective

areas of responsibility to ensure accountability

and transparency in the PDS. All PDS-related

records are to be placed in the public domain and

open to public scrutiny.

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Source of Draft:

• My Green Channel

• Lakshya Foundation

• X-56, [2nd floor]

• Green Park Main

• New Delhi-110 016

• 110 016

• INDIA

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011 - 26510323

011 - 26520323

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