"Food Security Bill will require 60+ metric ton grain heavily subsidized to serve 800 million public who will be entitle to get grains under this scheme. It may require 125 lakh Crore rupees every year. Is it too much money?? Yes it is but less than a single coal scam."
The first test of much hyped UPA’s
Congress ambitious Food Security Bill will be in November this year when four
states, Congress ruled Delhi & Rajasthan & BJP ruled Chatisgarh &
Madhy Pradesh are thrown in election battle. With country reeling under miss
governance, nearly absent government at centre, serial scams, high price rise,
onion bring tears in general public’s eyes, falling rupee & stock market,
lawlessness in Congress & its allies ruled states, Food Security Bill &
Direct Cash Transfer benefit Scheme will be facing litmus test in November
itself.
Food Security Bill will require
60+ metric ton grain heavily subsidized to serve 800 million
public who will be entitle to get grains under this scheme. It may require 125
lakh Crore rupees every year. Is it too much money?? Yes it is but less than a
single coal scam. What so ever it may be, FSB has to be implemented at all
cost. Within Congress there are different views for Food Security Bill. While a
big group lead by Sonia Gandhi believe that Food Security Bill is very much
required, not for poor people of India but for Congress to win the election. So
what so ever cost the country has to face, Food Security Bill has got to be
passed in Lok Sabha & if not possible to implement it through ordinance.
Actually ordinance has already been promulgated for Food Security Bill &
bill is pending in Lok Sabha where opposition is opposing, asking amendments in
the bill so that Congress does not take all credit of Food Security Bill. Sonia
is not ready to give any credit not even to its allies what to say of
opposition. Its IT section has already made big plan to take full advantage of
this bill. But with Congress itself there is a group who think this bill not
good for economy of country & to poor people too in long run. But as you
know when election is at head who pays heed to fair & honest opinion.
The main question is will FSB
prove to be gain changer as Sonia Gandhi & her general are hoping or it is
being brought too late that too in most cumbersome manner to satisfy public who
is frustrated over the act of omission & commission of this defunct
government. Though Congress may be desperate & praying that this bill too
works as previous bills worked in 2009 but it is not realizing that public is
smart enough to judge what action is brought for their welfare & what
action is brought just to make them fool for vote purpose.
Now problem is that though you
may call this bill as pro poor but if you look into it with eyes in future, you
will find many faults. At on hand UPA-II reduced subsidiaries in petrol &
diesel on the plea that after all it is public who pay for these subsidiaries
in indirect way. On other hand it is bringing FSB who subsidiaries too shall be
paid by public only in indirect manner, unless & until scam money is
voluntarily disclosed by these high placed people. It’s argument for FSB are all falling flat
not only because they are against common sense but also due to the fact the
credibility of this government is at the lowest.
So what is wrong with this bill?
Here are few points:
- Sonia Gandhi & his arm-chair-experts General claim that FSB was in its election manifesto. If it was, why Sonia led Congress waited for four long years to bring this bill & when they brought the bill they are in so much hurry that they want to get it passed without proper discussion in the house.
- In last few years there were reports that grain is getting rotted at godowns at different places due to lack of proper up keeping. It was suggested upon that if government does not has proper facilities to store grains, would it not be more prudent to distribute the surplus grain among the poor free or at low cost? Shard Pawar, Minister in charge, replied that distribution of surplus grain among poor shall set a bad precedent & also it may have telling effect on government treasure. The Sonia Gandhi never intervened & thought of bringing FSB.
- There are few models already working in different states very successfully. Centre never took finer points of those models to incorporate in FSB to make it more effective.
We must consider why & under what circumstances, Congress led
by Sonia Gandhi is so desperate to bring this bill.
- Since birth of UPA-II, as mentioned in this post, the government is facing one scam after other scam. One scam hardly dies, a new scam start showing its face from coffin.
- It is fighting its own demon inside & outside party. Partners are asking pound of the flash.
- Arm-Chair-Experts are making Pi-Chart to show country’s progress & property which has taken full beating.
- Man Mohan Singh who is their parliamentary leader never speaks even when he is required to speak.
- His ministers & spokespersons never stop from speaking without any insight, use filthiest arrogant word & think only their speech at nation TV & conference will win election for them.
- They have forgotten their own goal & to stop Modi is only agenda for them.
- Not secularism but appeasement of Muslim population has become their only agenda. They think only if Muslim voters are polarized, they can win election.
- Middle Class which supported them in 2004 & 2009 has moved away due to high price rise, inconsistence economic policies, unclear road map, policy paralysis, unstoppable national resources plunder by high & powerful, indifferent bureaucracy, Chine-Pakaistan uninterrupted intrusion in our border & government inability to stop it, down-down stock market, falling rupee value & above all rise of Narendra Modi as new hope for middle class including young generation.
- Rahul Gandhi, the Congress vice president, & their only hope is too busy with interior decoration while his house is on fire. Sonia Gandhi’s ‘pro-poor’ image has taken too much beating to counter Narendra Modi’s ‘pro-development’ image.
- The commercialisation of powerful political party positions and political blackmailing of various kinds has weakened the Congress from the inside in the last few years. His critics say Rahul lacks priority and doesn’t recognise the urgency of the times. When the house is on fire, his detractors say, you can't focus on the interior decoration.
- Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is breathing down the neck of the Gandhi family and the Congress. Though infact, the Modi factor is also helping the Congress to shift focus from the scams and failures of governance to portraying the coming big fight as a battle of secularism versus communalism.
If we take all above factors
combined with other factors which can’t be discussed due to limitation of a
blog post, it is most unlikely FSB will help congress much in upcoming
election. All recent surveys are too indicating the same.
But…But…But… Congress is very old
party. It knows how to fight elections though it has forgotten the method to
fight corruption & other evils of the society & BJP’s traditional inability
to cash on the situation & their infighting over prime-ministerial
candidate, over ambitious regional parties & their leaders may pave way to
UPA-III too.
PS: This post is personal views of the writer & has been expressed individually without any intention to hurt or help anybody or party. The pictures & cartoons are obtained from Google images without any intention to infringe their copy write &/or without any commercial gain.
Readers comments, criticisms & suggestions to improve quality of Blog is always welcome. Please feel free to post them or contact @NGOReporter
Pradeep Shanker
(NGO Reporter)
Good Blog! You detailed the pros and cons in siple terms!
ReplyDeleteThanks
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