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Subsidised foodgrain: SC disallows
discrimination
Tuesday April 23, 2013 07:58:32 PM,
IANS
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New Delhi: The
Supreme Court Tuesday said the government could not differentiate
between "one poor man and another poor man" while offering
subsidised foodgrain under the targeted public distribution
system.
The court said the central government could not deny ration card
to an eligible person merely on the grounds that the allocation of
quota of foodgrain for a particular tehsil or district had been
exhausted.
The apex court bench of Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice F.M.I
Kalifulla said it was not getting any satisfactory answer from the
government on the implementation of Justice D.P. Wadhwa
Committee's recommendation on revamping the public distribution
system.
"We are not getting satisfactory answers from the government on
the implementation of Justice Wadhwa Committee's recommendation.
If (allocation of foodgrain) is based on the population estimates,
then it should mean that you will have to make additional
allocations," the judges said.
"Take it from us, your allocation must match the population
estimates. How can you differentiate between one poor man and
another poor man," Justice Thakur told the Additional Solicitor
General P.P. Malhotra.
Malhotra told the court that the government could not afford to
increase the burden of the subsidy.
The court said if the government did not want to increase the
quantum of subsidy but favoured expanding the base of
beneficiaries then it would have to reduce the subsidy.
"It is a difficult decision. The moment you withdraw the subsidy
and increase price (of subsidised foodgrain) you will lose the
votes," Justice Thakur told the government counsel.
Senior counsel Colin Gonsalves, appearing for petitioner People's
Union for Civil Liberties, told the court that under the National
Food Security Bill the government was in fact aiming to sell
foodgrain at a price lower than the current one.
He told the court that all allocations of foodgrain for people
below the poverty line were based on 1990.
Malhotra told the court that once the food security law was
enacted, the resources for the allocation of foodgrain to people
under the targeted public distribution system would be made
available.
The court would next hear the matter May 3.
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