Were willing and prepared to fully implement Food Security Act: Gujarat Govt

Supreme Court had rapped Gujarat and other states for not implementing the Act, and questioned their adherence to the federal scheme

After being reproached by the Supreme Court on non-implementation of the Food Security Act, Gujarat government spokesperson and state health minister Nitin Patel on Tuesday said that the state was willing and prepared to fully implement the same.

On Monday, the SC had pulled up Gujarat, along with other states, over non-implementation of the National Food Security Act, and questioned their adherence to the federal scheme.

However, commenting on the same, Patel told mediapersons that the state was indeed willing and prepared to implement the same.

"Criteria for eligibility of families under the Act is being followed, based on which a list of eligible families has been made public in villages. We have ascertained the list of eligible families based on our socio-economic survey. Similar work is now on in the urban areas. Gujarat is willing and prepared to implement the act fully. We will, however, respond to the Honourable Supreme Court on February 12," Patel said.

According to state government sources, Gujarat has set April 2016 as the target to begin implementing the Act.

Pulling up Gujarat, among other states, an SC bench led by Justice Madan B Lokur on Monday observed, "What is Parliament doing? Is Gujarat not a part of India? The Act says it extends to whole of India and Gujarat is not implementing it. You want to break away from India. This law was passed by Parliament but the states are not implementing the central law. How can a state say that it won't implement the law? Tomorrow other state would say that it won't follow IPC, CrPC."

While there were other states who have so far not implemented the legislation, Gujarat was rapped by the apex court since it topped the list of the defaulting states which included the likes of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana and Chhattisgarh.

Appearing for Gujarat at SC on Monday, Advocate Hemantika Wahai had told the bench that the state is at the final stage of implementing the law and that consultation was going on.