BJP demands urgent steps to prevent rotting of food grains

NEW DELHI: Targetting the Central government over the issue of rotting of food grains in various FCI godowns, the BJP today held a dharna here and demanded better storage facilities, minimum support price for farmers' produce among requirements to tide over the crisis.

Making the demands, former BJP president Rajnath Singh told the gathering, comprising farmers from across the national capital, that it was time for them to unite and corner the government on the issue.

"There is an urgent need for directives to Food Corporation of India for compulsory laboratory testing of all food grains lying in its godowns. The government has to upgrade its storage facilities and improve technology required for this purpose," Singh told the gathering.

The BJP dharna comes just days after a delegation from the main opposition party approached the National Human Rights Commission and gave it two dozen sample of rotten food grain collected from various FCI godowns throughout the country.

Later, talking to reporters, Singh said, "I want to ask Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who has to take a decision regarding food security? State governments can take a call but the responsibility is on the Centre as procurement is in their hands".

He said the issue of fixing Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for farmers' produce is also the Centre's responsibility and "it cannot escape from its responsibility. By saying that agriculture is a state subject, it is playing a cruel joke on farmers".

Regarding the issue of MSP, he said the BJP was of the opinion that the Commission of Agriculture Cost and Prices (CACP) should be given statutory status and if this body decided and recommends the MSP, then the government should abide by that.

He said it was a matter of "national shame" that nearly Rs 60,000 crore worth food grains have gone waste in the past few months.

On August 12, the Supreme Court had observed that the government should ensure free distribution of food grains to the poor instead of letting them rot.