FOOD GRAIN WASTAGE AND THE SUPREME COURT-WILL THERE BE ACTION BY NDA GOVERNMENT?

True, a new government has taken over the reins in the country raising hopes of millions of Indians that better days are ahead in contrast to the policy paralysis prevalent earlier. But whether their hopes will fructify remains to be seen as bureaucrats still rule the roost and moving them to implement top policy decisions is still a big task. Food Corporation of India is a classical example about the bureaucratic grid lock that characterizes government programs, many of them well intended but not implemented properly. Looking back FCI and GOI were damned by the Supreme Court of India some time back for wasting precious food grains because of negligence and callousness in creating sound storage structures required to safe guard food grains for long duration. Here is a flash back on this issue and it is pitiable that nothing much has changed as far as this problem of wastage is concerned.  

"The court commissioners dubbed negligence by officials as `genocidal' and recommended responsibility and accountability be fixed at the highest level in Central and state governments. The commissioners have warned that this is just a third of the 1.37 lakh MT of wheat lying in the open since 2008-09 in Punjab, and the entire lot could have become unfit for consumption as Food Corporation of India (FCI) norms allow grains to be exposed to nature for only a year. In Haryana, too, 31,574 MT of grains have been lying in the open since 2008-09. Another 27.38 lakh MT of grain are lying in Punjab. While 18.90 MT of grains are wrapped in polythene, and gathering dust for the past two years. The commissioners report that "a significant quantity of these food grains are likely to go waste if urgent measures are not taken by the Government of India to release these stocks to poor immediately." The Supreme Court commissioners' statement comes in stark contrast to that of Pawar, who had earlier said in Parliament only 11,700 MT of grains worth Rs 6.86 crore had become unfit for consumption and reports of rotting grains were blown out of proportion. When contacted principle adviser to court commissioners, Biraj Patnaik, refused to comment, stating the issue is sub-judice. A counter affidavit filed by the government to this report quietly skirts the issue of rotting grains completely. Instead it talks of long-term arrangements to increase space for storage. The apex court, in its earlier hearing, had asked why grains should not be distributed to the poor instead of being allowed to rot in the open. The government claimed it cannot increase allocation of grains to the state under the PDS as it is not able take ad-hoc decisions while the new criteria is being developed by the government."

One of the redeeming pictures emerging now with the new government setting new standards of governance, FCI stored food grains are released into the open market in a controlled way which has resulted in reduction of prices in the case of some food grains, especially rice and wheat. Nothing much has been heard about the extent of rotten grains still with the FCI though the Court wanted this to be distributed to the poor. What is not realized is that these grains in all likelihood might be inedible even for animals because of severe infestation and contamination. It is time that government takes a serious view regarding this issue, sets in motion a review of acquirement policy and make the FCI accountable to the Nation. Recent direction to states not to increase Minimum Support price being offered to mop up surplus grains from the farmers may be a good move to divert these grains into open market and avoid long term storage for which adequate storage capacity is still not available. Also interesting is the announcement by the new government to restructure and recast the FCI to make them more efficient and accountable, though it remains to be seen whether such statements get translated into reality.  

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

THE ENDOSULFAN "LOVING"GOVERNMENT!-ACTION WITHOUT CONSCIENCE!

Does the Government of India love the ominous pesticide Endosulfan so much that it seems to have lost its conscience, when the Supreme Court was told that this pesticide is "unlikely" to cause any health hazard in spite of 72 countries in the world banning it out right because of its role in many health disorders?. Alternately the powerful Endosulfan lobby has been able to make the government impotent due to considerations other than technical. One must recall that Dr Achutan Commission in August 2001 categorically concluded that an entire population in a district in Kerala suffered from Endosulfan induced health disorders based on evidence collected by spending time among the affected population. It appears that the present team being led by the DG of ICMR has come to a different conclusion in suggesting that the health disorders in that district must be due to congenital factors which should be investigated by the sate government, in stead of blaming the "innocent" Endosulfan! Having agreed to ban this much hated chemical at the Stockholm Convention, does GOI has any conscience left to plead in the Supreme Court to lift the temporary ban which is in place to day? Adding insult to injury, the Endosulfan manufacturers have engaged a senior lawyer of the ruling party for defending its indefensible stand, clearly pointing out its anti-people stance when it comes to lobbyists and power brokers!.

"Maintaining that Endosulfan is unlikely to cause any public health concern or hazard, the Centre has urged the Supreme Court to lift the ban imposed on its production and sale in May this year. In its response to a petition filed by the Democratic Youth Federation of India, the Centre said that long-term use of the pesticide was unlikely to present public health concern. The Centre made it clear that Endosulfan was not the reason behind health problems in Kasaragod in Kerala. On May 13, the court, while banning its use all over India, directed the statutory authorities to freeze the production licences granted to the manufacturers of Endosulfan till further orders. The Court also formed an expert committee to go into all aspects of Endosulfan and asked the Centre to submit a report. Enclosing the report, the Centre, in its affidavit, said: "There is an overall weight of evidence from in-vitro and in-vivo screening tests that Endosulfan is not an endocrine disruptor. It is reported that Endosulfan is either carcinogenic or mutagenic. There is no evidence to suggest that Endosulfan bioaccumulates." Further "it is noteworthy that a number of countries that have banned this chemical have done so as a precautionary measure due to suspected long-term effects on human health. Use of Endosulfan has been put on hold in Kerala also as a precautionary measure. The tragedy in Kasaragod was due to aerial spraying of Endosulfan. A number of countries that have banned Endosulfan have done so as they have very low level of agricultural activities."

What is more interesting is that GOI cited studies published in 2006 for supporting its stand while world has traveled a lot during the last 5 years. If the world community has taken a decision in 2011 to ban this pesticide based on scientific evidence, GOI cannot claim that it is only right in saying there is no safety problem and allowing the use of the chemical in India. Do the Indian citizens have no right to live in a safe environment, compared to those in other countries where the pesticide has been banned? Are they second class denizens in this planet with their lives being dispensable? If the argument of GOI is to be believed, compared to India, other countries banning this pesticide have low agricultural activities! What does this mean? This stand reinforces the need to discontinue use of this chemical immediately in the country because of greater chance for damage among population. Further it has the cheek to say that Endosulfan is not an endocrine disruptor, in spite of massive evidence contradicting this stand! One can only hope that Supreme Court will see through the real intention of GOI, that is to support the pesticide industry and protect the honest citizens of this country from such government supported practices of slow poisoning .

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com