New Delhi: In a stern warning, the Centre has told 25 states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh that it will stop supply of subsidised foodgrains for APL families from April 5 if they do not implement food law.
The food law, passed by Parliament in September last year, has so far been rolled out only in 11 states and Union Territories. Remaining 25 states/UTs have not yet implemented the scheme.
"We have asked 25 states/UTs to expedite implementation of food law. We have given a stern warning that if they fail to meet April deadline, the Centre will stop supply of subsidised APL foodgrains to them," Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters here.
Non-implementing states would have to buy PDS foodgrains for distribution to APL (Above Poverty Line) families at a minimum support price from the Centre, he said after a review meeting with state Food Secretaries of these 25 states/UTs.
The deadline for implementing the food law has been extended twice till April 4, next year.
The law aims to provide legal entitlement to 5 kg of subsidised foodgrains per person per month at Rs 1-3/kg to two-third of the country's population.
Sources said that there is no provision for supply of subsidised foodgrains to APL families under the new law and, therefore, the government has issued such a warning.
At present, the Centre is allocating foodgrains to 11 states/UTs as per the new food law, while the rest 25 of them are getting foodgrains quota as per earlier PDS norms.
Despite extension of the deadline twice, Paswan said only 11 states/UTs -- Punjab, Haryan, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi and Chandigarh have so far implemented the Act, some of them fully and others partially.
"We have given time till February to states which have implemented partially to put in place infrastructure. If digitisation is not completed, the Centre will supply foodgrains to the extent of the online list of beneficiaries," Paswan said.
"In Haryana, only less than 10 percent computerisation of PDS has been done. In Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, no mechanism has been put in place for door step delivery of ration supply, while Madhya Pradesh has not yet completed Aadhaar card coverage," the minister said.
In the meeting, Paswan said that some states like Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have assured that they will be able to roll out the scheme by April, but states like Jharkhand and Odisha have sought more time till June-August.
Asked if further extension would be given to implement the law, the Minister said, "We will look at it on a case to case basis. If some states are genuinely facing problems and delays, we will have to consider."
The Food Security Act, which came into force from July 5 last year through an Ordinance, provided a period of one year for identification of eligible households, as per the criteria which was to be evolved by states themselves.
Full implementation of the law would increase the Centre's food subsidy bill by Rs 25,000 crore to Rs 1.31 lakh crore while the grains requirement would rise by 6-8 million tonnes from the current 55 million tonnes annually.
Under the law, the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, poorest of the poor, will continue to receive 35 kg of foodgrains per family a month.
