No confrontation over foodgrain for poor: Centre to SC

The central government assured the Supreme Court today that it had no intention of having “any confrontation” with it on the issue of distribution of foodgrain to the poor in the country and blamed media reports for the confusion.

Additional Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran gave a detailed statement to a Bench comprising Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma, which graphically described the steps taken by the Centre. The judges were satisfied with the “great gesture” of the government and recorded their appreciation for the efforts.

However, the Court is not leaving everything to the governments at the Centre and the states/union territories. It will continue to monitor the distribution of foodgrain. This was clear when the Court asked the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) to file its comments within a week.

Though the Court was “very happy” at the detailed reply of the government, PUCL said the government’s affidavit was not satisfactory, as what it promised to distribute from the surplus stock was only a fraction of the total in the godowns of the Food Corporation of India.

The government’s 15-page affidavit was in pursuance of the Court’s earlier direction for supply of foodgrain at “low cost” or “at no cost”.

However, it has not commented on the Court’s direction for free distribution of foodgrain to the poor, instead of allowing it to rot. It may be recalled that Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had claimed the government was not bound to supply free foodgrain to the people, as the Court had only made a suggestion and it was not a direction.

The Court, however, clarified on August 31 that it was an order and not a mere suggestion.