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Tamil Nadu has once again raised its apprehension regarding the Food Security Act, 2013, and re-iterated that the relevant clause has to be amended suitably.
In his address at the All States Food Ministers Conference in New Delhi today, the Tamil Nadu food minister R Kamaraj said the state government has strong apprehensions about the Food Security Act, 2013, which was passed by the Union government.
The minister termed the Act as a potential obstacle to providing reliable and comprehensive food security in Tamil Nadu.
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He said, while some of the issues raised by the state were addressed in the modified Bill, some of the key amendments incorporated in the draft Bill still had to be addressed.
These include the coverage of the urban population at 50 per cent, which is not adequate as urban areas do not have local food production and the country is rapidly urbanising and the urban poor constitute a large segment. Tamil Nadu is a highly urbanised state with 49 per cent of the population living in urban areas.
Hence, the coverage of urban population ought to be 100 per cent or at least 75 per cent on a par with rural areas to have meaningful food security for all. Migrant population from other states is a perennial feature in some states, including Tamil Nadu. So, adequate provision should be introduced in the Act to address the needs of the migrant population with adequate additional allocation of foodgrains.
The other issues pointed by the minister includes the shortfall in supply of foodgrains. The fundamental issue of shared responsibility is totally ignored in the Act, said the Minister.
The state also has concerns on the fixation of issue price of food grains over and above the entitled allotment, which is currently left to the discretion of the Union government.
