External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar challenged an American senator who said that democracy “doesn’t put food on the table” telling her that in India it does.
Jaishankar was apparently referring to the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) at a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference, where he countered US Senator Elissa Slotkin.
“Senator, you said that democracy doesn’t put food on your table. Actually… in my part of the world, it does. Today, since we are a democratic society, we give nutrition support, and food to 800 million people,” Jaishankar said on Friday.
“That is a matter of how healthy they are and how full their stomachs are. So, the point I want to make is that different parts of the world are going through different conversations. Please do not assume that this is a kind of universal phenomenon, it is not,” he said.
“There are parts where it is working well. Maybe there are parts where it’s not,” he said. “I think people need to have honest conversations about why it’s not.”
“But I would argue that to an extent, as someone dispassionately viewing it, a lot of it is an accumulated problem of the model of globalisation that we have followed for the last 25-30 years. I think a lot of chickens have come home to roost.
“So, yes there are issues, but from our point of view, let’s not make that universal,” the External Affairs Minister added at the discussion.
The central government has been providing food grains free of cost under the PMGKAY since January 1, 2023 to two types of beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and then extended it for five years from January 1, 2024.
Government data as of December 2024 shows 806.7 million people receive free food grains in two categories: 35 kgs per Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households per month and 5 kgs food grain per person per month in case of Priority Households (PHH) beneficiaries.
Apart from Jaishankar, the panel comprised Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, US Senator Slotkin and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowsk. (PTI)
