THE CONGRESS PARTY'S PRIORITIES, PLANS AND PROGRAMMES

FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY

Over the past few years, there has been far too much tampering with the public distribution system (PDS) that provides the basis for extending food security to crores of Indians. Because people are buying less foodgrain from ration shops, huge foodgrain stocks have been built up. The Congress will strengthen the PDS particularly in the poorest and backward blocks of the country and also involve women’s and ex-servicemen’s cooperatives in its management at the local level. While the focus of the PDS will be on below-the poverty line (BPL) families, surveys to identify such families will be conducted every two years by panchayats based on transparent and verifiable criteria such as land ownership, occupation, family status, etc.

About 6-8% of our population comprising the most destitute and infirm do not have access to the PDS even where the PDS works well. Special schemes to reach foodgrains to this section through panchayats will he launched. Antyodaya cards for all households at risk of hunger will be introduced. Grain banks in chronically food- scarce areas will he established.

It is a matter of great shame that even today over a third of babies born in India are under-weight reflecting acute malnourishment of the girl child who later becomes a mother. Nutrition programmes for the girl child particularly will be expanded on a significant scale.