12,000 tons of foodgrains wasted, unpardonable
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The Supreme Court has rightly observed that wastage of even a single food grain in the poverty-ridden country like ours is a crime. In a strongly-worded ruling, the court has observed that not a single food grain should be wasted.
More relevant is the court's observation and direction to the government that if it can't do anything about the rotting of the food grains, then it should be distributed among the poor.
The court's observation comes in the wake of findings that a whopping around 12,000 tonnes of food grains are rotting in different parts of the country due to lack of proper storage spaces.
Ironically, while a whopping 12,000 tonnes of food grains have been damaged, a large number of people in different parts of our country are going to bed without food. It is the duty of the government to make proper arrangement to store the food grains and if it couldn't find proper space to store them, the government should have distributed these food grains to the poor people who are finding it hard to meet both the ends.
All this is happening at a time when the government is proposing to come out with a legislation to provide food grains at a highly subsidised rate to the poorer sections of society. Legislation may take its own time, but what the government should do urgently is that not even a single grain should be allowed to be wasted due to the lack of space. It the government has no space, the food grains should be distributed among poor, just as the supreme court has directed.
Besides, the government should take the supreme court observation with all its seriousness and honesty to fix accountability for the unpardonable lapse in protecting the hard earned food grains. Around 12,000 tonnes of food grains is no child's play, those responsible for the loss of it should be punished.
Besides, the government should go into details about the racket being run by the fair price dealers and middlemen who eat into a sizeable part of the subsidy being doled out by the government. The government should ensure that its food subsidies reaches at the right place. Food is a basic need of all the citizens and any lapse on this front should not be pardoned.
