No immediate plans to give food coupons

NEW DELHI: The Government today said it had no immediate plans to provide food coupons to people belonging to the poor and weaker sections.

"The Government has no immediate plans to provide food coupons. As a pilot project, food coupons were distributed in some areas. But we encountered many difficulties in the pilot project," Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Akhilesh Prasad told the Lok Sabha.

He was replying to questions raised during a discussion on a resolution for Formulation and Implementation of Comprehensive Food and Nutrition Security Scheme moved by Congress MP Naveen Jindal.

Prasad, however, said some states such as Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh were providing people with food coupons. "The states are welcome to provide food coupons," he said.

Food couponscan be exchanged for foodgrains by people at any retail outlet.

Prasad urged Jindal to withdraw the resolution, saying around 100 crore people were covered under the Targeted Public Distribution System and about Rs 25,000 crore were spent on food security.

Jindal withdrew the resolution, but asked the Government to extend the employment guarantee scheme to the entire country.

He also appealed to the Government to consider enacting a Zero Hunger Act and provide food coupons to the poor.

Participating in the discussion, Archana Naik (BJD) said the government should strengthen the Public Distribution System.
She also said there should not be a tight distinction between Above Poverty Line (APL) and Below Poverty Line (BPL) as even one crop failure can push an APL agricultural family in the second category.

Francis George (KEC) said the government must resolve to eradicate malnutrition within five years. For this, an integrated approach should be followed for implementing various schemes such as Gram Sadak Yojana and Public Distribution System, he said.

He also said the government must ensure adequate availability of foodgrains in the country before liberalising trade in agricultural items.

Ram Kripal Yadav of the RJD said it was a pity that even after so many of independence people still went hungry.

"Despite a large number of schemes floated by the Government nothing has reached the poor," he said, adding the PDS system also needed to be improved.

Supporting the Bill, Debrata Singh of the Congress said the country has a large number of hunger-striken and the farmer who grows crops cannot feed himself.