M A I N   N E W S

Centre, states must team up to check price rise: PM
States told to implement food law in 3 months, crack down on hoarders
Tribune News Service

Protect poor from price hike, states told Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said he had written to the states to ensure implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA) to protect poor from rising prices. The food minister said effective implementation of the Act would protect poor from price rise The NFSA provides for distribution of highly subsidised foodgrains to the poor. But the Act has so far been implemented, partially or fully, in 11 states only.

New Delhi, June 26
Amid weakening of monsoon and rise in food prices, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today stressed on close coordination between the Centre and the states on implementing contingency plans and asked the states to set up fast-track courts to deal with hoarders and black-marketeers.

Holding a high-level meeting to review the progress of the monsoon, position of water reservoirs, fodder stock and steps to contain inflation, the Prime Minister directed that adequate water, power and seed supply should be ensured to the farmers so that the production was not affected due to scanty rainfall.

The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ramvilas Paswan.

A statement issued by the PMO after the two-hour meeting said that Modi stressed "on the need for both the Centre and states to proactively mount a coordinated effort in implementing the advance action plan for the monsoon, with districts, rather than states, being the unit of planning".

The government had taken a serious note of the recent increase in market prices of some of the food articles. It would take stern action, jointly with state governments, to check all such unreasonable hike as there is enough stocks of foodgrains and other essential commodities in the country, he said.

The states, he said, should set up special courts for speedy trial of hoarders and black-marketeers.

After the meeting, Paswan said he had written to the states to ensure implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the next three months to protect poor from rising prices.

The food minister said effective implementation of the Act would protect the poor from the increase in market prices of food articles, especially wheat and rice. In a letter to CMs to all the states, where the NFSA is yet to be implemented, he asked action for its implementation in next three months.

The NFSA provides for distribution of highly subsidized foodgrains to the poor, but this has so far been implemented, partially or fully, in 11 states only.

The Food Security Bill, an ambitious project of the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was passed by the Lok Sabha in August 2013.

The Centre has convened a conference of state food ministers on July 4 to discuss measures to check inflation. Paswan said that during the conference, action plan for early implementation the Nation Food Security Act would also be discussed.

The conference will be chaired by the finance minister.

Officials from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) also apprised the Prime Minister of the latest monsoon situation. He was told that though the monsoon had been delayed, rainfall was likely to improve in July and August.

Modi asked for the maximum possible use of existing water resources and best practices in rainwater harvesting. He said NREGA should be used to generate rural employment, if necessary.