SRINAGAR: Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq today targeted the National Food Security Act (NFSA), terming it as "inhuman and anti-people" law which would engulf people of Kashmir in problems by denying them ration and demanded its withdrawal.
"The government had earlier made a drastic cut in supply of kerosene to the state. Now, according to this food security legislation, only five kgs of ration will be provided to each member of a family a month in place of 35 kgs per family earlier.
This will force people to starvation," he said in his weekly address during the Friday congregational prayers at Jamia Masjid here.
"This law is inhuman and anti-people and it is an attempt to deny ration to the people," the Mirwaiz said.
Calling for rollback of the law, the Hurriyat chairman said in a state with a population of 1.35 crore, the government has decided to give ration to only 95 lakh people, while a population of 40 lakh would be rendered food-less.
The people of the state are already getting less rice supply than needed, he said. Jammu and Kashmir is only getting 3,25,270 quintals of rice against the requirement of 4,75,000 quintals despite the fact that rice is the staple diet of the people and by further reducing the quantity of the ration, the government was creating a crisis-like situation, Farooq said.
He demanded that 11 kg ration per person be given to every family like earlier. Mirwaiz said its ironical that instead of focusing on ways and means to provide food and adequate ration to the people in the winter months, the government is planning to spend millions in organising music festivals and gala events in the garb of promoting tourism on the new years eve.
There has to be an immediate stop to these activities and the government should focus on providing people with basic essentials like adequate ration, he said.