SC asks Centre to ensure free foodgrain to poor

The Supreme Court today directed the central government to ensure free distribution of food grain to people below the poverty line (BPL) instead of allowing the surplus stock to rot in the godowns of Food Corporation of India (FCI).

There are an estimated 65.2 million families covered by the BPL category and 24.3 million by the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY).

The Bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari also asked the central government to speed up computerisation of all data, like the families deserving subsidised food, the grains bought by the government and the capacity of the FCI godowns.

The court asked the Department of Information and Technology in coordination with National Informatics Centre to prepare unique identity cards for the deserving people.

It also asked all the 35 state governments and Union Territories to respond within two weeks to the central government’s scheme to distribute the surplus food. The court asked the government to build at least one godown to keep surplus food so that “it does not go down the drains”.

Another suggestion from the court was that the fair price shops should be kept open every day so that the poor people can buy their quota of 35 kg whenever they have money. They may not have money to buy the quota at one go.

The Bench passed the directions while dealing with a public interest petition moved by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, alleging rampant corruption in the public distribution system (PDS) besides rotting of food grains in FCI godowns even though thousands are going without food in the country.

The government today reported the decision of the group of ministers which has decided to extend the PDS supply to above poverty line (APL) families only after meeting the requirements of the BPL/ AAY beneficiaries.

PUCL supports SC ruling

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), a civil rights body, today expressed satisfaction at the Supreme Court’s direction to distribute surplus food grain free of cost among the people below the poverty line.

The union had filed a petition alleging rampant corruption in the public distribution system and rotting of food grains in godowns of the state-run Food Corporation of India.