Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Food security law in 100 days

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A food security law, to clearly define above-poverty and below-poverty line categories, will be formulated within 100 days, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Food and Public Distribution K.V. Thomas has said.

At a meet-the-press programme organised by the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club here on Sunday, Prof. Thomas said the Union Agriculture Ministry was going ahead with brainstorming sessions for framing the law. The views of the State governments would be considered in due course. The Union government was committed to distributing 25 kg of food grains to below poverty line families at Rs.3 a kg and hence would have to complete the process within the stipulated time.

Agriculture production would have to be bolstered to meet the demand, the Minister said.

The Union government was actively considering the proposal to form a separate Ministry for fisheries. He had held discussions with National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan on strengthening vigil in coastal areas.

It had been proposed to form vigilance committees including fishermen and provide communication equipment to them while venturing into the sea. A meeting of Fisheries Ministers would be held in Bhubaneswar on July 4 and 5 where more discussions would be held on improving the standard of living of fishermen, he said.

Prof. Thomas said the issue over APL (above poverty line) rice quota for the State would be cleared with the formation of the Cabinet sub-committee concerned.

He said the 20 Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns in the State had 80 per cent stock of food grains.

The State government had been told not to lift the stock if there were complaints about the quality of the grain, he said.

The Minister said warehousing facilities in the State would be improved. Discussions have been held with agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan on implementing the Kuttanad package. A mechanism would be evolved for its implementation, he added.

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