Jammu: JKPCC Vice President and former Minister Raman Bhalla on Tuesday claimed that Ration scarcity in Jammu amidst Covid-19 crisis has exposed the tall claims of the BJP government’s promise to curb irregularities in the distribution system. The shortage is forcing people to buy foodgrains from the thriving black market. This was observed by former Minister after visiting various Ration depots in Jammu on second consecutive day. Bhalla was accompanied by Amrit Bali, Satish Sharma, Pawan Bhagat,Sonu Dogra. Despite announcements of ambitious schemes to deal with the scarcity of flour, rice and sugar, Govt has failed to make much progress in streamlining the system and subsidised ration meant for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families rarely reaches them. There has been total mismanagement in ration distribution, which has created ‘’artificial scarcity’ of foodgrains. Across Jammu, consumers are not getting monthly ration and whatever is supplied is inadequate to meet their requirements. “Consumers are forced to buy ration from open market shops run under the under various catogeries, the government has to provide ration as per different scales. Under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana, ration is being provided at the rate of 35 kg per family per month. Under the Priority Households scheme, ration is given at Rs 5 kg per person per month. In spite of repeated announcements by the government about availability of ration during crisis, there is acute deficiency of food items at government depots in most of the rural and urban areas. People suffer heavily on account of scarcity of rice, sugar, kerosene and flour at hundreds of depots of CAPD. He said that most of the ration depots are empty and people have to buy foodgrains at exorbitant rates in the open market. “There is no control on prices either, and the government is almost non-existent everywhere,” said Bhalla.
Former Minister said the shortage of food is becoming a major cause of concern in Jammu. While there was urgent need to take special measures, no attention is being paid to Jammu and Kashmir, he said. In Jammu city people are suffering as the government is not bothering even to inquire about the availability of food items at the depots. Most people were left to fend for themselves with the Public Distribution system almost completely collapsed, he said. He said the government instead of trotting out statistics should try to reach out to people during these difficult days and take special measures for solution of this grave problem. He said that increase in prices of essential commodities including medicine, flour, rice, sugar, tea and oil had adverse effect on the poor, middle class, pensioners and common masses. He said that during the elections BJP leaders had promised that prices would be controlled and brought down, but there is a world of difference between their saying and doing, which is evident from the recent increase in prices of essential commodities.
The ‘corona curfew’ entered the 13th day today in J&K, with no let-up in COVID-19 cases. However, Bhalla said the prolonged curfew had impacted the livelihoods of locals. “The fresh lockdown has pushed people who survive on daily earnings to starvation. While the business community was still struggling to revive after the unprecedented developments since earlier lockdown, the fresh spell of lockdown has created havoc for many of the families,” he said. He sought the intervention of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and demanded a “financial sustenance package”for the affected businesses. The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the long-cherished food security of India (FSI). It has impacted all four aspects, namely ‘availability, access, stability, and utilization’ of food.The pandemic has however had perilous implications for food security, particularly of the poor and most vulnerable. Even the national managers of the pandemic could not foresee such a situation. However, it is not so for other commodities such as fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, milk, and sugar that constitutes 78 percent of the total food consumption. Disruption in supply chains and a decline in demand had caused a huge loss of production and income to the farmers, traders, and consumers.Access to food was not fully assured as a result of the decline in incomes and loss of livelihood after the Pandemic COVID-19. It was further impaired by socio-economic inequities. There were widespread disruptions owing to restricted movements, the ban on transportation, and border sealing. Moreover, private players who are averse to the risk of the virus largely control it; therefore, the role of PDS was critical in ensuring equitable access to food. The regional disparities in the availability of food grains and pulses were also responsible for skewed access to food.
Bhalla further said that stability of food availability and access will depend on how soon the contagion is controlled to allow free movement of goods and persons to restore food supply chains. The utilization of food is impacted by the absorptive capacity of people, which is constrained by incomes and health standards that are adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The capacity of the common man to purchase and absorb nutritious food declined due to rising health issues as a result of novel coronavirus; comorbid ailments and seasonal diseases-such as dengue fever, common flu. Unaffordable retail prices of non-grain food items and a decline in purchasing power compelled the common man to focus more on calories than wholesome energy. The people were constrained in their choice of preferred food as per local habits/traditions, added Bhalla. Bhalla slammed the Modi government for failing to provide enough cash and food for the poor. calling the current dispensation a “heartless government”, he said more people had run out of cash now and that the government should protect their dignity by “transferring cash” to the needy.The Congress leader proposed scaling up of coronavirus testing and asked the centre to find out where the country stands in fighting the global outbreak. He said, “India’s testing rate very low so far and the country needs to ramp up testing”.He said the entire country had to fight the crisis “unitedly” and the states needed to have adequate resources to deal with the crisis in a nuanced manner. He also suggested the implementation of the NYAY scheme — a social welfare programme introduced by the party during the 2019 general elections.
Bhalla observed that to remedy the situation emerging out of the COVID-19 pandemic and to prevent any major devastation by way of loss of human lives and livelihood, the country should take unitedly taken unimaginable quick decisions. The care for the poor and most vulnerable populations was perhaps the most arduous task. The government had to enhance social safety programs including direct benefit transfers such as cash transfers under PM Kissan, more liberal financing under MGNREGA; advance disbursement Social Security Pensions; direct cash grants to construction workers; and release of free and subsidized food grains under PMGKY to about 800 million people to ensure food for all. Rapid up-gradation of health infrastructure and manpower; and swift readjustment of policies and programs with active association and participation of all stakeholders, be that politicians, governments, NGOs, and private sectors, were other daunting tasks where Govt not perform very well by the governments. The battle against the Pandemic COVID-19 however continues unabated. We need new rules of business and make structural, administrative, and legal reforms to live with a new normal enforced by the pandemic, which requires a complete change in social behavior and approach to living. Deregulation also goes against the underlying need of effective control and management of food stocks in a crisis of the kind the pandemic COVID-19 has unfolded before the country, added Bhalla .
Bhalla further said that in such unprecedented times, there is uncertainty all around us and clouds of fear and despair hover over our heads. Every day is a new fight as hospitals run out of beds, patients gasp for breath, their families struggle for oxygen cylinders and crematoria see rush of bodies like never before. The country battles a deadly second wave of the pandemic and states suffer from severe shortage of medical oxygen as its demand only keeps rising every day. Let us not forget that even when the ruling government had eight months to make tenders for oxygen plants in hospitals, many of them are yet to be set up and deemed fully operational. As a majority of the population struggles mentally and physically, let us remember the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came on television to advise us against going out and using proper medication choosing not to say a single word on the dangerously low stock of oxygen in the country. Democracy urges governments to take responsibility but until now the ruling government has only censored criticism on social media platforms when WhatsApp groups, Instagram stories, Twitter fleets and Facebook pages are being organised for help.If the government takes this away from people, claiming that they attack the sovereignty and integrity of the country, then what other options do we have left? It is time that they come out of denial, carried the blame for lack of preparation and took responsibility for the situation of chaos.Every passing second is only a proof to the population that their protector and so-called “Messiah” has failed them, maintained Bhalla.
