Beneficiaries get cereals from a fair price shop in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, July 11: The Opposition Congress today criticised the state government for its failure to implement the National Food Security Act enacted by the UPA government last year.

Under the act’s provisions, each beneficiary is entitled to buy 5kg cereals per month at subsidised rate. They can buy rice at Rs 3 a kilo, wheat at Rs 2 a kilo and coarse grains at Re 1 a kilo. Pregnant women, lactating mothers and certain categories of children are eligible for daily free meals.

Raising the issue in the Assembly during Zero Hour, leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said the National Food Security Bill was passed in Parliament in July last year and enacted into a law subsequently. It was to be enforced by the states within a year.

“The state government, after the lapse of the stipulated time period, has sought extension of time. The extension should have been sought before the expiry of the deadline,” said Mishra.

Stating that nearly one third of state’s population are now deprived of the act’s benefits, the former law minister said: “Minus food, right to life cannot be guaranteed.”

Criticising the BJD government for its failure to implement the act, Mishra said: “The state government has no role to play in arranging funds. It has only to execute.”

He demanded a statement from chief minister Naveen Patnaik or the minister concerned explaining the reason of not yet been able to implement the act and thereby depriving the people.

The Opposition leader urged the Speaker to direct the state government to make a statement in the House on the matter and also clear its stand on the Rangarajan Committee report. “The government should spell out what is its stand and who are poor,” he said.

Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati and senior member Nabakishore Das alleged that the state government had violated the National Food Security Act.

However, senior BJD leader and former minister Amar Prasad Satpathy asserted that there had been no violation of law. “The state government has sought an extension of time. Seeking time is not an offence,” he said.

The ruling party leader explained that the act could not be implemented due to enforcement of the model code of conduct for elections and also procedural problems.

On the Rangarajan Committee report, Satpathy said: “It needs a lot of scrutiny.”