The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it had released 25 lakh tonnes of foodgrains to the States for distribution under the Public Distribution System, over and above 25 lakh tonnes made available in September 2010 for below the poverty line and above the poverty line families.
Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati made this statement before a Bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma during the hearing of a petition filed by the People's Union for Civil Liberties on streamlining of the PDS.
The Bench lauded the Centre's efforts when Mr. Vahanvati said the government had released 25 lakh tonnes in September 2010. “The government has made an additional ad hoc allocation of 25 lakh tonnes of foodgrains to States/UTs [Union Territories] for distribution to APL families at Rs. 8.45 per kg for wheat and Rs.11.85 per kg for rice.”
Earlier, Justice Bhandari told the AG that the Centre should not provide subsidised PDS foodgrains to the APL. “We had requested you not to give subsidised food to APL families who can afford. What is the justification to give subsidy to people who earn more? Why should a person with very high income get subsidised food?”
The AG said: “The allocation of foodgrains to the APL will not affect the BPL families.”
Justice Bhandari said: “There is some mismatch of figures in the BPL families and the Centre should file a fresh affidavit covering all the aspects, including computerisation of the PDS.”
Further hearing is posted to February 24.
