- (1.) We have briefly heard the learned Attorney General for India and learned senior counsel for the Petitioner.
(2.) Learned Attorney General for India prays for some time to file additional affidavit. Let the same be filed within two weeks and reply thereto, if any, be filed within three weeks thereafter. The parties would be at liberty to file additional documents, if any, within the time specified above.
(3.) Learned Attorney General for India has drawn our attention to a letter dated January 7, 2011 sent by the Joint Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Department of Food and Public Distribution, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, to the learned Attorney General for India, which reads as under: To Learned Attorney General for India,26, Supreme Court,New Delhi-110001. Sub: W.P.(C) No. 196/2001, PUCL v. Union of India Sir, This has reference to your letter of 11th November, 2010 conveying the Hon'ble Supreme Court's observation during the hearing in WP (Civil) No. 196/2001 PUCL v. UOIon the 11th November, 2010 in which the Court had, inter alia, desired to know whether allocation of food grains to BPL families can be increased beyond 25 lakh tons made by the Government. 2. It may be mentioned that additional allocation of food grains are made by the' Government from time to time based on requests received from States/UTs and availability of food grains in the Central Pool. In the above context, I would like to inform that in addition tot he allocation of 25 lakh tons of food grains made by the Government in September 2010 for distribution to BPL families at BPL prices, Government of India has now, vide orders dated 6.1.2011, made a further ad hoc allocation of 25 lakh tons of rice and wheat to all States/UTs for distribution to BPL families at BPL prices. 3. In addition to the above, the Government has also made an ad hoc additional allocation of 25 lakh tons of food grains to States/UTs for distribution to APL families at a price of ' 8.45 per kg for wheat and ' 11.85 per kg for rice. 4. The above additional ad hoc allocations may be suitably brought to the notice of the Hon'ble Supreme Court.;