New Delhi, Thursday 02 September 2010: The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on food will meet on Thursday and it is likely to discuss ways of implementing the Supreme Court order to distribute foodgrain ’free’ to the poor instead of letting it rot.

“The EGoM on food is meeting on Thursday,” Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters on the sidelines of an insurance summit organised by Assocham in Mumbai.

The EGoM will discuss various issues related to foodgrain stock including the Supreme Court’s order of August 12, which has asked the Centre to consider its free supply to the poor instead of allowing it to rot in FCI godowns, according to Food Ministry sources.

The EGoM, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, is likely to deliberate on the ways to implement the order as the Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s contention that it was a “suggestion” which cannot be implemented.
“It was not a suggestion. It is there in our order. It is part of our order.

You tell the Minister about it,” a Bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma told the government counsel Additional Solicitor General Mohan.

(PTI)