It is estimated that food grains worth Rs 58,000 cr are rotting in FCI godowns. While India needs to create 140 million tons of extra storage capacity, proper perspective and pragmatic measures towards ushering in food security for the entire country would help create massive employment and reduce the incidence of poverty in rural areas.

It is unfortunate that food security, especially for the poor—a national priority—is currently embroiled in an avoidable controversy. It is estimated that food grains worth Rs 58,000 cr are rotting in FCI godowns. India needs to create 140 million tons of extra storage capacity—a major challenge before the government which has pledged to enact a Food Security Law. There is a call by a political party to rob food grains from godowns and distribute them among the poor. It is shameful that the food security issue has taken political overtones. Good economics can be good politics, but in this case, bad politics is making bad economics.

Recently, the Supreme Court had directed the government to distribute food grains free to the hungry as a measure to overcome the storage problem. The apex court suggested "to either distribute [the food grains] freely or sell at cheaper rates to the poorest of poor." Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said that it is not possible to implement the Supreme Court order that asked the Center to distribute food grains free to the poorest instead of letting it rot because of lack of storage facilities. The government is providing rice and wheat at cheaper rates to the poor.

It is indeed deplorable that on the one hand, citizens have to bear the rising food inflation, and on the other, millions of tons of wheat are getting damaged under tarpaulin covers sans proper storage and warehousing. The present poor governance of all issues related to the objective of food security needs to be substituted with good governance practices.

The Analyst Magazine, India Food Security, Good Economics, Political Overtones, Supreme Court, Good Governance, Economic System, State Warehousing Corporation, Millennium Development Goals, Total Sanitation Program, Food Security Mechanism, Food Corporation of India, FCI, Information and Communication Technology, Public Distribution System.