See through our eyes, not your ears.

Nitish questions proposed legislation on food security

PATNA — Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday dispatched a letter to Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia pin pointing state government’s reservations to the proposed central legislation on food security.

In a letter addressed to Ahluwalia, who was on a two-day visit to the state beginning November 18, Nitish said, ”Our concerns relate to the identification of BPL families and proposal of the Union Government to put a cap on the number of BPL families that can be supported under the targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), irrespective of the figures arrived at through surveys conducted by state governments.”

Nitish had suggested to Ahluwalia during his Bihar visits that the Centre should constitute an ”Identification Commission” to identify the number of families living below the poverty line in the state as the Centre was releasing quota of food grains and Kerosene oil to only 72 lakh families through Public Distribution System (PDS) when the number of BPL families in the state was not less than 1.5 crore.

In his letter, Nitish urged Ahluwalia ”to ensure that the contours of the proposed legislation are adequately redrawn in line with our suggestions which we regard to be of paramount importance in our efforts to combat poverty”.

- AGENCIES