Enough stock of rice in Kalikot, says NFC
Karnali Messenger-Karnali Forum for Sustainable development
The Rising Nepal
URL:
http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/pageloader.php?file=2006/03/19/topstories/main10
By Our Correspondent
KATHMANDU, Mar. 18: Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) Saturday stated that
there was enough stock of rice in Kalikot district, where four people
were reported dead due to famine.
Assistant Department Chief of NFC Yagya Raj Bhatta said that the
corporation had already sent 4,720 quintals of rice to Kalikot out of
6,800 quintals allotted for the district with added quota.
He conceded there could have been problems in distribution but
maintained that the NFC was regularly dispatching food items to the
remote district through helicopters, mules and sheep. "The remote
districts of Karnali region have always been our priority while
allotting quota and sending food items," he added at an interaction on
'Food Crisis in Karnali and Solutions' organised by Karnali Student
Welfare Committee.
He said that the Maoists had been looting the foods items sent to the
needy people. He gave two instances of Maoists capturing food in Jumla
and Dailekh.
Bhatta however accepted that the NFC could deliver only 40 per cent of
total demand from the districts because of budget crunch. There is
additional demand of 9,500 quintals of rice from Kalikot and the total
additional demand from 14 remote districts stands at 55,850 quintals,
according to the NFC. The NFC has set aside 50,950 quintals of rice for
those districts. A total of 30 districts get food supply form the NFC.
Bhatta said that the NFC had sent 9,125 quintals of rice to Jumla
district against the allocated quota of 9,850 quintals, 5,123 quintals
to Humla against the allocated 7300 quintals, 3,122 quintals to Mugu
against 6,200 quintals and 6,121 quintals to Dolpa against 7,300
quintals. These districts are traditionally worst hit by scarcity.
On the occasion, president of National Democratic Student Union, Dhan
Bahadur Budha said that people of Karnali should unite for the cause of
self-reliance rather than always depend on unreliable sources.
"If we always demand for food, we will always be dependent on others,"
he said. " So, our demand should be for support to become
self-reliant."
Political activist Padma Kumari Shahi wondered why the leaders of the
region didn't make efforts to eliminate hunger from the region while
they were in power.