The United Progressive Alliance’s game changing Food Security Bill will turn out to be a losing proposition for Andhra Pradesh when it implements the ambitious programme for its 846.65 lakh population.
Experts while drawing the policy, estimated food security for 75% of rural and 50% of urban population across India, but when it comes to Andhra Pradesh, there are massive cuts in the offing.
New Delhi has informed the state government that it would only provide food security to 60.98% of poor people in rural areas and 41.14% of poor in urban areas in AP, which is largely due to disparity in calculation of the poor in the state.
“Our state reported huge drop in poverty statistics released by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO). The Planning Commission also said there was a 20% drop in poverty in Andhra Pradesh by 2012,” said a senior official in the planning department.
While the NSSO figures put poverty levels in the state at 9.2%, the civil supplies department has gone too far up in its calculation. Astonishingly, the civil supplies department says more than 95% of the population of Andhra Pradesh is not in a position to buy food grains in the open market, without officially certifying them as population living Below Poverty Line.
In a bizarre scenario, the state civil supplies department says that 2.01 crore ration cards have been distributed to BPL families across the state out of a total 2.08 crore households in the state.
Background:
Experts while drawing the policy, estimated food security for 75% of rural and 50% of urban population across India, but when it comes to Andhra Pradesh, there are massive cuts in the offing.
New Delhi has informed the state government that it would only provide food security to 60.98% of poor people in rural areas and 41.14% of poor in urban areas in AP, which is largely due to disparity in calculation of the poor in the state.
“Our state reported huge drop in poverty statistics released by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO). The Planning Commission also said there was a 20% drop in poverty in Andhra Pradesh by 2012,” said a senior official in the planning department.
While the NSSO figures put poverty levels in the state at 9.2%, the civil supplies department has gone too far up in its calculation. Astonishingly, the civil supplies department says more than 95% of the population of Andhra Pradesh is not in a position to buy food grains in the open market, without officially certifying them as population living Below Poverty Line.
In a bizarre scenario, the state civil supplies department says that 2.01 crore ration cards have been distributed to BPL families across the state out of a total 2.08 crore households in the state.
Background:
Due to disparity in calculation of poor in AP, Centre has told state that it would provide food security to 60.98% of rural poor and 41.14% in urban areas instead of 75% for rural and 50% for urban population across India
According to civil supplies department, out of total 2.08 crore households in AP, 2.01 crore are BPL families
Many mandals in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Anantapur, Mahbubnagar, Warangal and Nalgonda have more ration cards than actual population Officials to ask govt to reconsider stand
Hyderabad: Assuming that each family has an average of four members, the total number of BPL beneficiaries in the state comes to around 8.05 crore, experts said.
Interestingly, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam Anantapur, Mahbubnagar, Warangal and Nalgonda, have a complete mismatch between the population figures and the number of BPL card beneficiaries. Many mandals in these districts have higher ration cards than actual population.
The state at present spends more than Rs 3,000 crore to supply rice at Re 1 per kg and is supplying 4 kg of rice per person per month. But when the Food Security Bill comes into play, it would have to supply 5 kg to every person, that too at 35 kg every family each month.
While the Centre has decided to supply rice at a rate of Rs 3 per kg, the state is already supplying the same at Re 1 per kg. Under the Food Security Bill, the state has to supply 35 kg of rice at Rs 3 per kg for 8.05 crore population, out of which the Centre will supply food grains to only 4.56 crore population going by New Delhi’s estimate, making Andhra Pradesh a big loser.
“The Centre’s decision would certainly increase burden on our exchequer. We are now calculating total amount of funds needed to increase quantity of rice in the wake of Food Security Bill,” Sunil Sharma, commissioner, civil supplies department told TOI.
Sources in the government revealed that the state has to spend an additional Rs 2,500 crore to implement Food Security Act in the state as it has to supply rice to an additional 3.4 crore people, if they go by their calculations. Worried civil supplies officials say they will request the government to reconsider its stand.
“We are going to request the Union government to change poverty figures for Andhra Pradesh. We will ask that 75% of rural and 50% of urban households, as was decided by the Centre earlier, should get supplies,” D Sridhar Babu, minister for civil supplies told TOI.
Moreover, the state has to procure nearly 20.40 lakh metric tonnes of food grains to supply its 2.1 crore ration card holders, experts calculated.
The state is receiving from the Centre 54,524 tones of food grains under Anthyodaya scheme at Rs 3 per kg, 87,674 tones for BPL at Rs 5.65 per kg and 1,52,748 tones for Above Poverty Line (APL) card holders at Rs 8.30 per kg.
Apart from this, civil supplies department spends 80 paise per kg as transportation charge.
According to civil supplies department, out of total 2.08 crore households in AP, 2.01 crore are BPL families
Many mandals in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Anantapur, Mahbubnagar, Warangal and Nalgonda have more ration cards than actual population Officials to ask govt to reconsider stand
Hyderabad: Assuming that each family has an average of four members, the total number of BPL beneficiaries in the state comes to around 8.05 crore, experts said.
Interestingly, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam Anantapur, Mahbubnagar, Warangal and Nalgonda, have a complete mismatch between the population figures and the number of BPL card beneficiaries. Many mandals in these districts have higher ration cards than actual population.
The state at present spends more than Rs 3,000 crore to supply rice at Re 1 per kg and is supplying 4 kg of rice per person per month. But when the Food Security Bill comes into play, it would have to supply 5 kg to every person, that too at 35 kg every family each month.
While the Centre has decided to supply rice at a rate of Rs 3 per kg, the state is already supplying the same at Re 1 per kg. Under the Food Security Bill, the state has to supply 35 kg of rice at Rs 3 per kg for 8.05 crore population, out of which the Centre will supply food grains to only 4.56 crore population going by New Delhi’s estimate, making Andhra Pradesh a big loser.
“The Centre’s decision would certainly increase burden on our exchequer. We are now calculating total amount of funds needed to increase quantity of rice in the wake of Food Security Bill,” Sunil Sharma, commissioner, civil supplies department told TOI.
Sources in the government revealed that the state has to spend an additional Rs 2,500 crore to implement Food Security Act in the state as it has to supply rice to an additional 3.4 crore people, if they go by their calculations. Worried civil supplies officials say they will request the government to reconsider its stand.
“We are going to request the Union government to change poverty figures for Andhra Pradesh. We will ask that 75% of rural and 50% of urban households, as was decided by the Centre earlier, should get supplies,” D Sridhar Babu, minister for civil supplies told TOI.
Moreover, the state has to procure nearly 20.40 lakh metric tonnes of food grains to supply its 2.1 crore ration card holders, experts calculated.
The state is receiving from the Centre 54,524 tones of food grains under Anthyodaya scheme at Rs 3 per kg, 87,674 tones for BPL at Rs 5.65 per kg and 1,52,748 tones for Above Poverty Line (APL) card holders at Rs 8.30 per kg.
Apart from this, civil supplies department spends 80 paise per kg as transportation charge.
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