KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
National Conference on Friday said people of the State were reeling under deprivation of ration because of PDP’s “clear intent to persecute” the people of J&K to derive political dividends out of their misery and suffering.
Senior National Conference politician and former minister for CAPD, Chaudhary Mohammad Ramzan said the implementation of NFSA “deprives” around 50 Lakh souls in the State of ration and PDP’s continued defence of their NFSA “atrocity” with the people was not only “insensitive but also indicated a prolonged delusion within the party”.
“The previous Omar Abdullah-led Government had opposed the implementation of the NFSA in the State and had raised a number of objections officially with the Union Government while highlighting the fact that millions of souls within J&K would be adversely affected. The NFSA encapsulates a limitation of 75% for rural populations and 50% limitation for rural population and the sad part is the curtailed entitlement in J&K is even lower and stands at 63.55% for rural population and 47.10% urban population. The Omar Abdullah-led Government had demanded a 100% limitation for rural areas and a 75% limitation for urban areas and sought that not a single soul is negatively impacted by the implementation of any Central Act. We had opposed NFSA categorically and this is proved by the official correspondence between the then State Government and the Central Government,” Ramzan said in a party statement.
Ramzan said, “the previous Omar Abdullah-led Government had sought a minimum of 7 kg of ration per soul according to the 2011 census in a transparent manner after which nobody would be adversely affected or deprived of ration. Instead of understanding this issue and protecting the interests of the people of J&K, PDP appeased the Central Government led by its ally, the BJP by implementing the NFSA in the State without considering the adverse impact of this Central Act on our people. No thought was given and the Act was impulsively implemented in the State, as is evident from thousands of glaring irregularities in ration cards – which has translated into enormous sufferings for the people.”
The former CAPD minister said the NFSA was “against the interests of the people” of the State and “came with a grave risk of spreading nutritional deprivation and food insecurity” in the State. “Assurances of the CAPD Director about making amendments in the Act are irrelevant as a Central Act cannot be amended by the State. This is precisely why a mirror Act should have been passed in the State Legislature with pro-people contours, but this wasn’t acceptable to PDP’s ally, the BJP”, the Senior NC Leader added.
