Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Food Security Bill & BJP

UPA II government & Congress party are struggling to pass this bill anyhow.This is Congress party's idea of "Buying" votes of the poor without worrying about serious,long term consequences on country's finances.BJP as a responsible Right -Of  Center Hindu party should have opposed this bill on following grounds.

1. Food Security Bill [FSB] seeks to provide highly subsidised food grains to 67% of the population,while number of actual poor has fallen to 20% of the population

2.Most of the state governments have failed to deliver benefits of subsidised food grains through existing Public Distribution System [ PDS] - because the sytem is inefficient,wasteful and highly corrupt.40% of subsidised food grains and kerosene are siphoned off in the black market

3.If Governments can't operate this existing PDS for the poor,how will it operate this new FSB for 67% of the people.It will be a financial disaster.

4.Since FSB expects states to distribute highly subsidised food grains to farmers,states may not be able to give remunerative prices to farmers for such food grains.That will force farmers to switch to more remunerative cash crops,thus creating long term shortages of food grains for 125 crore people.

On all these counts FSB is a disaster and hence should have been opposed by BJP in the national interest.