KING C BHARATI |Between the lines|
Jammu, Dec 20|15: A fierce debate has been going on in our state about the implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA) with many sides grinding their own axe according to their political requirements but the fact remains that the common man is still groping into the dark and clueless about the utility of the whole jargon of NFSA. The com- mon man on street is as usual running against the time to fill up the relevant documents lest he misses the bus but hardly knows what the hell is this all about. Speaking to a group of people at a ration depot holding some forms in hand this correspondent tried to enquire whether they knew what was the food act all about and how this was going to benefit or hurt them but nobody seemed clear about the idea saying they just want to fill the form unless they are told later to run from pillar to post to complete the formalities. On the other hand the political space is filled with allegations and clarifications as well as some support from unexpected quarters only to reap the political harvest. Recently at an interactive session the R
elief and Rehabilitation Commissioner migrants had also to face similar barrage of questions regarding the utility and necessity of filling up the forms for Kashmiri Migrants and what was this all about. Even though the government has publicised the system how this act will be implemented but for a common man it is still rocket science and for those who seldom visit the ration depots it seems more than that. Meanwhile at political arena political heavyweights are fighting it out to take the credit with BJP-PDP government getting support for the implementation from Congress leader Saifudin Soz only to tell the world that it was UPA-II that had passed the NFSA and not BJP so people must adopt it and give credit to Congress. On the other hand National Conference is vehemently opposing the implementation with Omar Abdullah accusing the government of robbing people of the right to bare minimum ration requirement. Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed it as “inhuman and antipeople” law which would engulf people of Kashmir in problems by denying them ration and demanded its withdrawal. “The government had earlier made a drastic cut in supply of kerosene to the state. Now, according to this food security legislation, only five kgs of ration will be provided to each member of a family a month in place of 35 kgs per family earlier. This will force people to starvation,” he said in his weekly address during the Friday congregational prayers at Jamia Masjid at Srinagar. Separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani said the reservations of the public in this regard cannot be taken as meaningless. MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has said the National Food Security Act (NFSA) should be implemented in the state in light of the CPI (M) resolution on the subject adopted by the Legislative Assembly unanimously on 27.08.2014. However Jammu and Kashmir government feeling the heat has hinted at reviewing implementation of the legislation, saying said it is “not a word of God or a religious book which cannot be changed”. What baffles the common man is that when even the government is under confusion how it wants people to believe that all was well with the act which is evident from the statements of the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed one given on March 25, 2015 when he said “that the National Food Security Act will not be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir and the state government would take up on priority the issue of providing ration to the people as per the 2011 Census. But within some months that same Chief Minister ordered its implementation and now again under pressure has said that Govt was ready to discuss food Act to sort out resentment. One wonders why the government is taking people for a ride when it was still hesitant in implantation of the NFSA and what the hurry to confuse the common man was. It would have been better to discuss the act threadbare in the cabinet first and then implemented with full might if it was for the benefit of the people without any fear of the opposition.
