Should the government suspend the Agricultural Produce Market Committees Act (APMC) and encourage NGOs, civil society, and corporate houses, to directly procure from farmers? Analyse (200 Words)
Refer - Financial Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 4 years
KEY POINTS
· As Prime Minister announced an all-India lockdown for three weeks to break the chain of Covid-19, one could see the extent of the threat.
· While the government has already announced that beneficiaries of the public distribution system can avail of three months ration in one go, the challenge is to ensure that Fair Price Shops deliver this in an orderly manner, and that their own supply lines remain intact.
· Home (street) delivery would be ideal in such times to avoid crowding at one place. This is where civil society, with due safety gears, can play a role. From NGOs and Resident Welfare Associations to religious organisations and paramilitary forces, all can be engaged in orderly and safe distribution of food, both pre-cooked and fresh.
· Those NGOs with experience in food preparation and distribution (the likes of Akshaya Patra) can be at the forefront to guide the local authorities.
· The weekly haats/markets need to be temporarily suspended, lest they become viral spreading centres, as everyone touches and feels the quality of vegetables when buying in crowded vegetable markets.
· This is about handling the retail distribution, be it of grains, or of fresh food. But, these retail distribution lines need to be seamlessly linked to wholesale supply lines of food.
· Also, we should use this opportunity to suspend the APMC Act and encourage NGOs, civil society, and corporate houses, to directly procure from farmers.
