SC notice to Centre, eight states over food grain

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre and eight states to respond to a plea for providing free foodgrain guaranteed under National Food Security Act to all drought-affected people.

A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and S A Bobde issued notice to Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Odisha and Jharkhand governments.

PIL hearing

The court was hearing a PIL filed by Swaraj Abhiyan, a political movement started by former AAP leader Yogendra Yadav, seeking directions for adequate and timely compensation for crop loss and input subsidy for the next crop to the farmers affected by drought and subsidised cattle fodder for animals. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Swaraj Abhiyan, said National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, placed obligation on the state to provide 5 kg of foodgrain to each person in the family per month.

“Unfortunately, most states have not yet implemented this. Except Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, the states have stuck to the previous Public Distribution System schemes that fall short of the NFSA obligations,” he said.