It is not a nice feeling to be correct in one’s conclusions, when such conclusions point towards crime or corruption or incompetence or callous disregard of common good. And when one’s conclusions are on the economy, when the world’s largest democracy is headed by an economist as Prime Minister, it is even more horrible. The UN heard that speculation is the major reason for food price increase seen world over.
As far back as November ‘09 (SENSEX Sense) and in February ’10 ([R]Inflation), I had blogged that the rise in food prices belie the actual situation on ground. The PM’s response over the same period had been to mouth platitudes.
He even had the temerity to warn off the Judiciary on their concern / order to distribute food grains rotting in the open – terming the Supreme Court’s ‘suggestion’ as interference in the policy decisions of the executive. The PM’s reasoning – we can’t give away food for free to 37% of the population who are BPL (Below Poverty Line) – that is a whopping 370 millions at least!
He would rather let the food grains rot, rather than feed hungry or starved people – Doesn’t he deserve a Nobel?
OK, if he is unwilling to divert rotting rice to the ‘families’, how about expanding the ‘Mid-day Meals Scheme’ for school children and including an ‘end-of-school-supper’ for them? Surely that wouldn’t hurt his noble heart?
In case giving food free to school children does hurt – estimates put malnutrition in Indian children aged 5 or lower at a whopping 42%. Not that such an expansion will help them, since children don’t go to school before they are 5 years old. How about expanding such a scheme to lactating mothers and their off spring?
Last and not the least, for God’s sake, we should dismantle those Commodity Exchanges which are actually driving the food prices up, as stated in the UN meet. For example, the total Rabi wheat production in India has been estimated at 80 million MT, which is supposed to be more than domestic demand. And India doesn’t allow for exports of Wheat; so, except for the 5 to 6 million MT of wheat procured by the GoI as food buffer stock, the whole lot is available for public consumption. In such a case, why is the price going up?
:-S
As far back as November ‘09 (SENSEX Sense) and in February ’10 ([R]Inflation), I had blogged that the rise in food prices belie the actual situation on ground. The PM’s response over the same period had been to mouth platitudes.
He even had the temerity to warn off the Judiciary on their concern / order to distribute food grains rotting in the open – terming the Supreme Court’s ‘suggestion’ as interference in the policy decisions of the executive. The PM’s reasoning – we can’t give away food for free to 37% of the population who are BPL (Below Poverty Line) – that is a whopping 370 millions at least!
He would rather let the food grains rot, rather than feed hungry or starved people – Doesn’t he deserve a Nobel?
OK, if he is unwilling to divert rotting rice to the ‘families’, how about expanding the ‘Mid-day Meals Scheme’ for school children and including an ‘end-of-school-supper’ for them? Surely that wouldn’t hurt his noble heart?
In case giving food free to school children does hurt – estimates put malnutrition in Indian children aged 5 or lower at a whopping 42%. Not that such an expansion will help them, since children don’t go to school before they are 5 years old. How about expanding such a scheme to lactating mothers and their off spring?
Last and not the least, for God’s sake, we should dismantle those Commodity Exchanges which are actually driving the food prices up, as stated in the UN meet. For example, the total Rabi wheat production in India has been estimated at 80 million MT, which is supposed to be more than domestic demand. And India doesn’t allow for exports of Wheat; so, except for the 5 to 6 million MT of wheat procured by the GoI as food buffer stock, the whole lot is available for public consumption. In such a case, why is the price going up?
:-S
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