Post News network
New Delhi, Dec 16: The Supreme Court Wednesday issued notices to the Centre and eight drought-hit states on a plea seeking direction to make free the foodgrain that is guaranteed under the National Food Security Act available to the affected farmers.
The states that have been issued the notices include Orissa, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.
A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and SA Bobde passed the order on a plea seeking adequate and timely compensation to affected farmers for crop loss, as well as input subsidy for the next crop and subsidised cattle fodder for animals.
Swaraj Abhiyan, a political movement by former AAP leader Yogendra Yadav, had filed a PIL in the apex court alleging that the Centre and states have been highly negligent in performing their obligations, adversely affecting the lives of the people by their inaction.
Advocate Prashant Bhusan, appearing for Swaraj Abhiyan, said National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 places an obligation on the state to provide 5 kg of foodgrain to each person in the family per month. He also submitted that no government has provided any compensation or relief to the farmers for crop loss during this drought.
