To, Shri Sharad Pawar (June 15) Hon’ble Union Minister
Shri Sharad Pawar
Hon’ble Union Minister
Agriculture;Food & Civil Supplies; Consumer Affairs &
Public Distribution
Government of India
Krishi Bhawan
New Delhi

Hon’ble Sir,

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on behalf of the people of Darjeeling would like to draw your attention to the new policy which is likely to be framed by the Govt of India in respect of the Public Distribution System. In this regard we are submitting a few suggestions for your kind perusal and taking the same with the appropriate authorities in respect of Darjeeling Hills.

The hill areas of Darjeeling District are a totally non-producing area in respect of food grains as the topography and soil do not support the same. The only agricultural product here is tea cultivation.

The hill areas witness a very severe climatic condition during most parts of the year with rainfall for about 5 months and winter for about 5 months making general living conditions very difficult.

The economy of the hill regions is very weak as limited business opportunities exist here. The entire economy is based either on tea or tourism. As such the majority of the population is employed in either of this business. The average salaries being paid in both these sectors is very low and ranges from Rs 1500-Rs 3000 per month. The business society also, which is very small in number, is not very affluent. As such the entire population comes under a similar economic status and there is not much of a financial difference as is evident in the plains.

Due to the topographical nature of these areas and poor infrastructural facilities, people have to walk long distances to reach their work places. The general living conditions are very harsh and severe and as such the diet of the hill people is generally more compared to that of plain people. The weather conditions also demands greater food consumption.

Considering the above we feel that any policy by the Government of India to benefit the hill people has to be taken with a different view as there is a vast difference in the overall conditions of the hill areas and the plain areas. As regards a food policy we feel that while formulating a policy for the hill areas the following suggestions should be considered,

As the hill areas are a totally non-producing area in respect of food grains the consumers are totally dependent on the PDS for their food requiremements. Further, as the economic condition of the consumers is poor, the dependence on the PDS becomes total, as the consumers cannot afford to buy from the open market. As such the total quantity required by a person for his monthly consumption should be supplied through the PDS. The present quantity of 35 kgs per family per month is not sufficient and this should be increased to 50 kgs per family per month. The ideal supply would be 22..5 kgs of rice 22.5 kgs of Wholemeal Atta and 5kgs of wheat. We may mention here that the introduction of supply of Enriched Wholemeal Atta through the PDS has immensely benefited the hill consumers as the hill areas lack crushing facilities. The scheme we learn was a pilot project of the country and has been extended to other states of the country in view of its success and benefits of enrichment with micro-nutrients.

There should be no categorization of the consumers in the form of BPL and APL as 90% of the population fall under a similar category of monthly income ranging from Rs500-3000 per month. Although a sizeable population might not meet the BPL criteria as formulated by the Government, but they are in no way affluent and deserve the benefits as being given to the BPL consumers. Infact the BPL criteria framed by the Government has also been done taking the plain areas into consideration. It specifies certain criteria such as limited clothing, Katcha houses, etc for qualification under the BPL, but the same cannot hold true here as because every person residing in the hill areas has to somehow manage a tin roof houses and the required clothing due to the weather conditions prevailing here. As such considering the overall conditions prevailing here the entire consumers should be categorized under a single category and foodstuffs should be made available at the BPL rates as fixed by the Government.

Supply of sugar in the hill areas should also be made directly by the central government as the present supply by the state government is totally erratic. Further the scale of supply of sugar should be doubled from the existing 100gms per person per week.

We are hopeful that the problems being faced by the hill people will be suitably taken up from your end with the appropriate authorities to benefit the hill people at large.

Thanking You,

Yours sincerely
Rooshan Giri
General Secretary
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha