Court reminder: Provinces asked about food steps for the poor

Laments that in the last eight months, the provincial govts have given little consideration .

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court has asked provincial food secretaries about the steps they have taken since October 2013 to ensure that underprivileged citizens can buy food at affordable prices.

A three-judge bench hearing a suo moto case on Tuesday lamented that in the last eight months the provincial authorities had given little attention to the issue and that people were not getting food items at affordable prices.

“The [food] secretaries will come with the undertaking that welfare programmes or schemes will be implemented within the time stipulated for giving food items to the poor at affordable prices. [However] if they violate their undertaking, they will face the consequences,” said the bench headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja.

During the hearing, the law officers of all provinces and the Additional Attorney General Attique Shah submitted the reports about the measures taken by their respective governments to provide subsidy on food items.  The court, however observed that the subsidy is being provided even to those who actually do not need it.

The national food security secretary told the bench that the federal government had earmarked Rs118 billion for the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). In reply to the bench’s objection that the BISP was not a subsidy on the food items, the secretary contended that 80% of the BISP money was used on food.

The provincial additional attorney generals (AAGs) also appeared before the bench and outlined the measures taken to ensure food subsidy. The court adjourned the hearing of the case until July 7.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2014.