Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, December 11: Shiroamni Akali Dal MP from Sri Anandpur Sahib Prof. Prem Singh Chandumajra today stressed that India must resist pressure from the developed countries on the issue of food security at the forthcoming WTO meet at Nairobi.
Raising this issue vociferously during zero hour in the Lok Sabha today, Prof. Chandumajra said the design of the developed countries could be to block Doha Development Agenda which had the potential to pose a serious danger to Indian’s food security and interests of the farmers. He recalled that it was agreed upon at the ministerial level 9th WTO conclave in 2013 that no restriction should be imposed on developing countries till consensus was evolved on storage of food grains.
He expressed the apprehension of food grain stocks for public distribution system in India coming under the scanner of the developed nations at the WTO meet on the pretext of creating distortions in the world food market. This would have to be opposed tooth and nail as India needs adequate stocks to meet the needs under the Feed Security Act.
The Akali Dal MP said besides storage, the other issues that could crop up might be minimum support prices, subsidies and ending public distribution system. The developed countries could also take up the issue of protective restrictions imposed by developing countries on certain imports.
He underscored that the welfare of the farmers and rural poor was directly linked to the farm sector in India whose 57 per cent population was dependent upon agriculture and allied activities.
