BJP was opposed to National Food Security Act, says former food minister Shanta Kumar

NEW DELHI: Former food minister Shanta Kumar said the National Food Security Act, which covers 67% of the population, was more of a ‘vote’ security rather than food security.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party was opposed to the Act from the very beginning, but lent support to the previous UPA regime’s scheme to avoid being projected in bad light ahead of the elections.

A high-level committee headed by him to restructure the Food Corporation of India has recommended that the act should cover only 40% population.

“When the act came in Parliament, many thought 67% coverage was quite high. But you know the political situation ahead of the elections. None of the political parties would have let the act cover 67% of population if the elections were not around that time. Hence, we said it was less of food security but more of vote security,” said Shanta Kumar while releasing the summary of recommendation of the high-level committee on reorienting the role and restructuring of FCI.

Kumar added that BJP didn’t oppose Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s pet project as it felt that opposition would make it a tool against them in elections. “The opposition would have got a point against us. We knew our government is coming and we will correct it,” he said. More than 6.1 crore tonnes of rice, wheat and coarse cereals are expected to be distributed to 81 crore people, covering 75% rural and 50% urban population, under the programme. The Act, which came into force on July 5, was expected to be implemented in 365 days.

Till date only 11 states including New Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar have implemented it.