Major concerns in National Food Security Act

There have been different concerns of various sections of the society with reference to the Food Security Act. These have been discussed below:

Distortion of agricultural patterns

• Small farmers who go grow grains for personal consumption may shift to other crops to make more money and buy subsidised grain.
• Assured of cheap food, small farmers that produced grain for self consumption may stop cultivating cereals and shift to other crops. This can affect food grain output.

India could become massively dependent on imports

• India’s commodity imports tend to move global prices. Should India be forced to buy grain from international market because of the food security law, it would have to pay heavy prices.

One-third population may have to pay steep prices

• The government will need to procure food grains in large quantities to meet the demands of the law. This would require sharp increase in minimum support prices to incentivise farmers. As a result there could be lower supply in open market.

Food subsidy bill will rise sharply

• The cost at which the Food Ministry will make additional grain available is an issue to be considered. A wide coverage and throwaway issue price for foodgrains under the scheme will increase food subsidy sharply.
• It may squeeze out private traders from the grain market, giving state agencies such as the Food Corporation of India total dominance in the trade.
• It may put a huge subsidy burden on the government, which can derail the fiscal situation.

Overall inflation will rise

• If a major rice-consuming State such as Tamil Nadu enters the open market, seeking to procure rice in huge quantities, the price of the commodity will naturally increase.
• Higher MSP for cereals and demand for other food items because of lower household spending on cereals will push up food inflation and the overall inflation.

Overall corruption and malpractices may rise

• There may be many leakages and malpractices.
• Irregular supply of ration is a bigger issue that getting ration at subsidised rates. The accessibility and quantity wheat or rice made available to the poor is always at the discretion of the ration shopkeeper. The government must ensure to curb hoarding of food grain.
• Responsibility and accountability should be strictly enforced, without any leniency of any type.

Why Principle of self exclusion can be helpful in effective implementation?

The National Food Security Act has a novel concept of conception to cremation lifecycle approach. Besides putting a number of transparent criteria for excluding those from food security, self exclusion should be the guiding principle. The people who do not need food should not ask for it. Even if you include a man who should be excluded doesn’t matter. But never should a deserving man be excluded. Freedom from hunger is freedom from corruption. The implementation of the act must be based on a culture of honesty.