7

Civil Supplies Department

On 24 March 1953, a Cut Motion about matters pertaining to general policy of Civil Supplies Department and about the day-to-day administration of the general policy was tabled by Shri B. C Kamble, to which Shri Chavan, Minister for Civil Supplies, replied * as follows:
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
*BLA Debates, Vol. 23, Part II, March-April 1953, pp. 1492-96.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I will naturally confine myself to those points, concerning the Civil Supplies Department which were raised during the debate. I am grateful to those hon. Members who made a reference to these points because there was a stage in the debate when I felt that there was not going to be even a mention of the very essential problem, the problem of food. I thought that there was going to be a complete silence, and as I was about to get away with this compliment of silence, fortunately, certain hon. Members intervened to say something about matters pertaining to the Civil Supplies Department. As a matter of fact, those who spoke did not definitely criticise the department, but raised certain questions, posed certain issues and made certain queries, and my effort will be to deal with them as briefly as possible.

The issues and questions raised can be classified in two groups. The first group consists of matters concerning the general policy with a view to seeking certain information and clarification and the other group consists of particular matters arising out of the day-to-day administration of that general policy.

I will take the first group first, namely, the general policy. While referring to this question, the hon. Member Shri Bharucha raised a very pertinent question and asked me whether the Government was groping in the dark. He expressed his deep doubt about the new policy of the relaxation of the control on millets, and he wanted to know what are the basic considerations that influence our food policy and he also wanted to know what is going to be our future policy. I may tell him and this House, that there are two basic considerations which guide us in framing our food policy in this State.
The first is that it is our conviction, whether there is to be control or decontrol, partial or complete, that the policy should be formulated, executed and enforced on the basis of the country as a whole. The second principle that guides us is that we are not doctrinaire so far as our standpoint about control or decontrol is concerned. Considerations of expediency do weigh with us. I may make it clear at the outset that an all-out decontrol in the immediate future is out of question. If I may use words spoken by the Prime Minister of India, control is necessary at some strategic points. But it cannot be an ideal of any Government to perpetuate controls indefinitely. So, control is necessary, for some time, at some strategic points and our efforts will be to minimise controls to the extent it is possible. So, these are the two principles which will always guide us in framing the policy of this Government.

As regards the general policy that we have adopted in this State in the last few months, one can reasonably ask these three questions: what is the policy, why is it there and how is it being enforced? Any food policy can reasonably have three objectives before it. First, the stabilising of prices; second, proper distribution; and third, building up reserves for emergencies. I think these are the three very general objectives which any food administration can set for itself. We have always tried to put before ourselves these three objectives. The Government of India is also trying to follow them.