Tuesday

Rice holds more value than it's price

How to describe it – “The Politics of Rice or The Food Security?.” – the election manifestoes of most political parties, promise providing cheap Rice or Wheat for the families living Below Poverty Line ( BPL) . This indeed makes the Lok Sabha Election 2009 very special.

It is also significant to note that this time the supply of subsidized rice or wheat is projected as a national scheme while it has been in the past implemented more as a state scheme.

This ball of Rice politics was originally set in motion in 1967 when the DMK -the regional party in Tamil Nadu, promised to provide three measures of Rice for a Rupee to ascend to Power in the state elections in Tamil Nadu.

In 1983, the newly formed regional party, Telugu Desam in Andhra Pradesh won the elections on the plank of promising Rice at Rs.2 per Kg.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi made the Rs 1 per Kg Rice scheme at the birth centenary celebrations of the DMK founder C.N. Annadurai.

Again in 2006, at the election campaign for the Tamil Nadu State assembly , DMK promised to supply 20 kg of Rice at Rs.2.00 per Kg for BPL Families. After winning elections the scheme was introduced and later the price was further slashed to Rs.1 per Kg. Now from 2008 onwards Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradhesh, Orissa and Karnataka are following the footsteps of Tamil Nadu in providing cheap grains although they are still lagging behind TN in reducing the price further.

This idea initiated by a regional party long time back is now only catching the imagination of the National Parties. The Indian National Congress has offered to supply grains at Rs.3 per Kg in their election manifesto.

The vocal critics of subsidy to food are coming down heavily on politicians for making the people lazy and beggars by providing food almost free of cost. They point out that the necessity to work is reduced and there will be loss in productivity per person. They express the concern that cheap grains are not reaching the intended group of people who are really in need.

There is also Judicial intervention in this state of affairs. The supreme court set up a committee under Justice D P Wadhwa in 2006 to examine the Public Distribution System ( PDS) in the country. This committee submitted its report in March 2009. The following observations of the committee about PDS and cheap ration are notable.

“The PDS is inefficient and corrupt. There is an unholy nexus between transporters, fair price shop owners and officials of the department of food and civil supplies.”

“There is a mad rush among people for categorization under BPL.”

“The only way to tackle pilferage of food grains meant for the poor could be through computerisation of the entire distribution process”

But the critical views of the Judiciary, media and some individuals could not be taken as a basis for abolition of schemes to provide cheap grains at this point of time. The ground situation in rural India is very disturbing if we analyse and compare with the rest of the world on Humanitarian grounds.

Take it as Soul Searching or Fact Finding, the report of UN World Food Programme (WFP) prepared jointly with the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation ( India) portrays a phenomenon that one in every two persons suffering from hunger in the world is Indian. There are 230 million hungry Indian people.

It may hurt the pride of Indians who believe that India is Shining by listings of Indian Companies in the world wide stock markets or by introduction of new luxury pleasure cars and cheaper cars or by the performance in the field of Information Technology. By those standards, it is very hard to digest this fact about Hungry Indians. They may even question the validity and methodology used to gather the statistics on hungry Indians. But it is true and indeed a slap on the face of every proud Indian. Unfortunately many people are not feeling that pain.

It is even more pathetic if we see the situation of Indian Children. 50 % of infant death is due to malnutrition and 70% of children in the age group of 1 to 5 years are anemic. In India 43% of children are under weight when compared to world average of 25% and African average of 28%. Consider these facts with the proud optimism of a bright future to India having a large population of Youth. Absolutely there is nothing to celebrate here. All our dreams of building a super power seem like an empty rhetoric.

And what about our Food Management? Is it a sin to expect better management of agricultural produce from the Government? The same government that grooms brilliant managers through Indian Institute of Managements to be distributed free of cost to Multi National Corporations ? Who cared about one million ton of food grain wasted in the godowns of Food Corporation of India (FCI) in the last ten years? Is it not gross mismanagement when we realize that the wasted 1 million ton of food grain could have been used for feeding 10 million poor people in one year ?

Are we wise enough to store the bounty harvest in the years of abundant rainfall just to feed rodents? We have the moral literature and religious guidance, we have a good work force of Information Technology. Can we not go for sensitizing people for computerization of Public Distribution System to root out corruption as suggested by our Supreme Court?

We are talking about a new Idea of India. If literacy is not improved and poverty is not tackled within a reasonable timeframe, no new idea could save India.

When all the political parties are in favor of providing cheap grains, is it not possible to conduct a national discussion and consensus to evolve uniform standards and price for grains so that it nullifies the competitive electoral politics and address the problem of hunger at a specified time frame?

The reality that such schemes were not thought of at national level two or three decades ago when we were still more poorer, but are being considered now by our national parties indicates that we have progressed enough to share and we can offord such charity. In one way it looks like charity but in other way it is only an investment in developing human resources as it is going to help the survival of more children who will be a scientist or an engineer or a physician, building up a future India.

There are discussions about abolishing the punishment of death sentence to criminals. But we should also discuss about millions of poor Indians for whom premature death is ensured by the mere accident of birth in India. The careless citizens , leaders and Governments should change. This is the time to think. Adopt a change. Save our people.

UN Emblem for Hunger

An ideal land is free of Hunger
Pestilence and war

– ThiruValluvar 734

Suggested to read along with “Slum Dog Rides on White Tiger” by this author

Written by Malarthamil

Malarthamil is a civil engineer and writer-poet inspired by Thirukkural – a classical Tamil poetry that expounds various aspects of life.