Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee Sr. Vice President and Ex Minister Sham Lal Sharma said that the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) should not deprive any individual or bonafide family of the existing quota of ration being availed by them as the people of the state could not afford to do without ration in view of the sufferings undergone by them during two and half decades of turmoil in the Jammu & Kashmir.In a statement to KNS, Sham Lal said that the Food Security Act was a land mark Legislation of the Congress led UPA government at the Centre, but the Congress-NC coalition government in the state did not go ahead for its immediate implementation without sorting out the shortfall as there was a genuine apprehension that a large section of people would get deprived of the existing scale of ration in the state. “The then government took up the issue with the Centre to sort out the shortfalls and shortcomings so that the people did not suffer on this count,” he said.
He regretted that the PDP-BJP government totally failed to sort out the shortfalls in this regard and was making false claims whereas it failed to provide sugar and ration to the people even as per the existing scales since it came to power.He also said Jammu & Kashmir has the largest percentage of BPL as compare to other states of India,Moreover people of J&K are hilly terrain and it is a food deficit state.PDP BJP govt took the decision to implement NFSA without going into the depth and didn't focus much on the preliminary work to be done for its successful implementation,moreover celebrated it with big banner and pomp and show ,just to add one more achievement to their report card.Today the same BJP PDP minsters including Ex DY.CM Nirmal Singh are seen regretting their hasteful decision of implementing NFSA.He said that decision to implement the NFSA in haste without proper and systematic homework as well as examining the implications of its implementation in the present form, was the credit taking exercise of the PDP-BJP Govt. The present crises on this front is the gift of the PDP-BJP coalition and they should now own the responsibilities also and help solve the problem by extending all sorts of support to the present dispensation, instead of misleading the people.
Senior vice president Sham Lal Sharma said that BJP, PDP had been exposed in the state because of their opportunistic alliance and wrong policies and failed to deliver to respect the mandate of the people.On the issue of ration cards Sham lal said ra ration cards are issued every ten years, previously ration cards were issued in 2001 so the procedure for issuing new ration cards is in process. He termed it as futile exercise where gazzetted officers have been placed under lower income section where as poor labourers, farmers with less land holdings have been wrongly placed under higher income section.He said administration should take step in favour of economically weaker section of the society and it should be exercised in a transparent manner.Urging Governor to ensure ration to the people on the same analogy they have been getting since decades, Sr.Vice President JKPCC has called for revisiting the Food Security Act as it has become a contemptuous issue in its present form due to the wrong policies of PDP BJP Coalition Government in the state. Centre should also ensure that there should not be any reduction in the existing quota while implementing the Act. People of the state are already hit in absence of the elected government, the implementation of NFSA "in Present Form" would further alienate them, which will be a matter of great concern. (KNS)