Scrap food subsidy, says Sharad Pawar

Union agriculture minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has strongly opposed the food subsidy given to the poor. He said the subsidy given to 68% of the population deprives the farmers of the county of their basic right of reasonable rate for the farm produce.

It’s high time for the central government to decide on the 35kg of foodgrain given to poor people.
“The farmer does not get a reasonable price to his produce as the government provides rice and wheat [to the poor] almost free. If it continues with this scheme, the farmers may decide to adopt a different crop pattern and stop cultivating the crops given away at a subsidised rate. For example, wheat is purchased at Rs18 a kg to make it available to the poor at a lower rate. The things which are given for free or at such subsidised rates lose their importance,” he said.

Pawar said that a labourer working on the employment guarantee scheme earns his monthly ration of 35kg by working for half a day because the daily wage rate has raised to Rs145 in Maharashtra. “This is what leads to the imbalance. I am of the opinion that nothing should be given at a subsidised rate to a large section of the society; such subsidies should be restricted only for the ones who really need them,” he added. He said that the percentage of the population below poverty line is on a decline and this fact substantiates his stand.

On the other hand, he also boasted that the central government exported wheat worth Rs1.87 lakh crore and the number of godowns are falling short to stock the produce.