Voicing doubts over NSSO report on food availabity in Indian households, Odisha government today admitted that measures to provide food to people had not so far reached all even as a dissatisfied opposition Congress MLAs walked out of the assembly.
The issue of National Sample Survey Organisation's (NSSO) observation that about four per cent of Odisha's rural families do not get a square meal everyday during a particular time in a year was debated in the assembly through an adjournment motion where Food and Supplies Minister P K Deb claimed that the report is not fully accurate.
"NSSO's report is based on a a model survey though it gives indication on a particular subject. The report says that people in rural Odisha face food scarcity during January and February. As these two months are harvesting season, people used to have sufficient foodgrain for consumption," Deb said.
When the people have sufficient food grain with them in January and February, how could they face food scarcity, the minister asked raising doubt over the NSSO report.
Justifying his argument, the minister quoted Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia as saying: "NSSO report does not reveal what exactly is happening."
Deb also named G K Chadha, member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, who too earlier said that hunger persisted in five states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Bihar and Jharkhand.
"Odisha's name was not there in the list of five states facing food scarcity," the minister said.
