Srinagar: The residents of Srinagar took to the streets on Friday to protest against the central government's decision to cut short the ration supply under the NFSA (The National Food Security Act 2013, also known as the Right to Food Act) scheme.
Much to the discomfiture of the people of the valley, the quota was reduced from 15 kg per person to 5 kg per person. Many political parties came in support of the people and heavily criticized the government's order to reduce the ration quota.
Scrapping the old scheme, now a person registered on the ration card will get only five kilograms of rice and flour, as against 15 kgs of it. In addition to this, an upper limit of 35 kg has been put up for each family to procure ration.
Cutting down the quota will directly affect the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the valley as to meet their needs, they will have to buy rations from private shops at exorbitant rates.
Protestors here said that rice was being sold in the market at Rs.3,000 per quintal, which they do not have the financial strength to buy. Reacting to the government's decision to curtail the rice and wheat quota here, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iqbal Tramboo said that the allotted quota is already insufficient and now reducing it further will deprive approximately 40 lakh people in the valley of two meals a day.
Leader of the National Conference, Dr Sajjad Shafi, urged the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha to review the decision and reinforce welfare schemes in the Valley.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir were beneficiaries of four schemes, namely NFSA, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), and state-imposed Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Food Entitlement Scheme (MMSFES). However, the leader observed that the ration quota was substantially reduced in the past couple of years, by scrapping certain schemes.
