Launching a five-day nationwide agitation by Left parties against the current Food Security Bill here, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said, "The Bill, in its present form, excludes majority of poor people from its bracket and is totally flawed. Therefore, we demand passage of a revised bill which will ensure food security to the poor."
Karat said the Left parties are for strengthening and streamlining the Public Distribution System (PDS). By creating distinctions like Above Poverty Line (APL) and Below Poverty Line (BPL), majority of the poor people have been excluded from the PDS, he said.
"Unless and until food grains are available to people through PDS, food security cannot be achieved," he said.
Taking a dig at NDA and UPA for failing to tackle poverty while they were in power, CPI National Secretary D Raja said, "The nation-wide agitation is aimed at achieving food security. People living Above Poverty Line and Below Poverty Line should have access to food and the bogus poverty estimates of the Planning Commission should be scrapped."
CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said for the last two years, the bill is pending. "Poverty levels are rising and there is a need to introduce this legislation so that food grains reach the poor."
CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat said the present bill before the Parliamentary Standing Committee will only promote food insecurity.
"Some of the basic formulations of the bill is aimed at legalising injustice. Targeting of poor is based on highly dubious estimates of the Planning Commission," she said.
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Alleging the government of protecting black marketeers, Karat said, "The immediate demand is for a universal PDS, a revised Food Security legislation and banning of exports of food grains."
Villagers across different states, political leaders and members from the four left parties - CPI (M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc - today launched a five-day nation-wide agitation here at Jantar Mantar.