Dimapur, December 19 (MExN): The Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) in its week-long observence of National Consumer Day held a programme on consumer awareness related food safety on day 2, december 19 in Kohima.
The NVCO delved into the National Food Security Act 2013 during the awareness programme. As per a press release from NVCO Press & Media Cell, the Act is to provide food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach by ensuring access to adequate quality food at affordable prices for people to live a life with dignity.
Food security means availability of sufficient food grains to meet the domestic demand as well as access at the individual level, to adequate quantities of food at affordable prices. The National Food Security Act is also called as “Right to Food Act.”
Both above poverty line (APL) and below poverty line(PBL) beneficiaries have been amalgamated under the name of Priority Household (PHH) as per the Act and the beneficiaries would be provided 5 kg of food grains per head at Rs 3 per kg for rice and Rs 2 for wheat in the ratio of 4:1. The households covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana(AAY) would be entitled to 35 kg of food grains per month, said the release.
During the official launching programme, the director of Food & Civil Supplies to the Government of Nagaland said, “Today, under the PHH we have 2,37,434 households with an increase of 44,464 household with a female member as the head of the family in the PHH ration card covering 11,93,922 individual beneficiaries. Here it may be mentioned that together with the 2,12,034 AAY beneficiaries, the department will be covering altogether 14,05,956 beneficiaries out of the state’s total of 19,78,502 as per 2011.”
Moreover, pregnant and lactating women will be entitled to free meals during pregnancy and six months after child birth. They will also receive maternity benefit of at least Rs 6000. In case of non supply of entitled food grains or meals, the beneficiaries will receive food security allowances. To ensure proper transparency and accountability in the implementation, the Act makes provision for setting up a social audit by the states.
The Act also provide to set up grievance redressal system at the district level and state level for expeditious and effectives redressal of grievances.
NVCO President, Kezhokhoto Savi requested the department of Food and Civil Supplies to give more guidelines and information to the general public, while adding that awareness on the National Food Security Act 2013 was “very low especially in villages.”
The lack of awareness would lead genuine beneficiaries to victimization, he added, citing few cases of reported black-marketing still prevalent.
While introduction of such scheme was to fight against hunger, to reach the beneficiaries in an honest manner, Savi held “we cannot allow few to make business out of it,” while adding the state government was yet to establish Food Commission in the state.
Savi assured to further spread awareness campaign on National Food Security Act to village levels. It informed the citizens to call up Nagaland State Consumer Helpline Toll Free No. 1800-345-3701 or email – nagaconsuhelpline@yahoo.com for further query or information during the office hour or visit the office situated at D-Block, Kohima, Nagaland. Day 3 will discuss on "backdoor appointments."
