Question : STARVATION DEATHS

(a) whether several starvation deaths have been reported in the country, particularly in the poor and backward areas including Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand during each of the last three years and the current year;

(b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise and region-wise;

(c) the steps taken/proposed to be taken for ensuring proper supply of foodgrains to the poor people in such areas;

(d) the remedial measures taken by the Government to check recurrence of such incidents in future; and

(e) the norms being adopted by the Government to issue Below Poverty Line ration cards to persons in these States alongwith the steps taken to check their misuse?

MINISTER OF THE STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (PROF. K.V. THOMAS)

(a) & (b): No State Government/Union Territory Administration including Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand has reported any incidence of starvation death during each of the last three years and the current year.

(c) & (d) For tackling the problem of hunger and starvation in the country and to ensure that people living below poverty line get adequate food grains, the Government has been providing food grains at highly subsidized prices to the targeted population through the State Governments /UT Administrations under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and Other Welfare Schemes (OWS) such as Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Wheat Based Nutrition Programme, Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) – SABLA, Annapurna, Emergency Feeding Programme and Village Grain Bank Scheme. During 2011-12, under TPDS, a quantity of 488.71 lakh tons of food grains have been allocated to States/U.Ts. An additional allocation of 50 lakh tons of food grains have also been made for BPL families at BPL issue prices. 2.57 lakh tons of additional allocation have also been made to 8 States for distribution in the poorest districts as per order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court. 32.44 lakh tons of food grains have been allocated to States/UTs for the Other Welfare Schemes.

(e) For identification of Below Poverty Line (BPL) households, Ministry of Rural Development issued guidelines for BPL Census 2002 based on 13 socio-economic parameters which include land holdings, type of house, food security, ownership of consumer durables and means of livelihood, etc.

In terms of the Public Distribution System (Control) Order, 2001, State/UT Governments are to review the lists of BPL and AAY families every year for the purpose of deletion of ineligible families and inclusion of eligible families. Instructions have also been issued to all State/UT Governments to issue warning to the bogus card holders, through advertisements in the newspapers, to surrender the bogus cards. This process has resulted in elimination of 209.55 lakh of bogus ration cards as reported by the States/UTs.