Chairman of Regulatory Reforms Commission Dr Akbar Ali Khan Saturday said famine occurs to those nations where there is unelected government in power and none to put pressure on the government in taking decision, reports UNB.

If there is democracy, famine does not occur to those countries normally, as there is pressure on the political government in taking any decision, said Dr Ali at the BBC Bangladesh Sanglap at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital.

Referring to Nobel laureate Prof Amartya Sen, Dr Ali, a former adviser to the caretaker government, said famine might also occur in the country if there is lack of employment amidst huge stockpile of food grains.

Urging the government to arrange employment for the common people, he said it is not easy for the government to do that under the present context.

He suggested distribution of food among the poor people through VGF system on emergency basis. Awami League presidium member and former Agriculture Minister Motia Chowdhury, BNP Chairperson''s adviser and former secretary and ambassador Mofazzal Karim and secretary general of the Consumers'' Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Kazi Faruque also took part in the Sanglap as panelists.

BBC Bangla Service in cooperation with the BBC World Service Trust organised the event moderated by Kamal Ahmed of BBC Bangla Service. Dr Ali observed that the government will not be able to introduce rationing system right now, as there is neither sufficient stock of food grains nor the capacity.

Motia Chowdhury alleged that those who resorted to street violence protesting the policy for women development are "extremists" and part of Jamaat-e-Islami who mislead the people misusing in the name of Islam. She alleged that information regarding the present food crisis has been concealed by the government.

Asking the government to provide incentives to the farmers, the AL leader called upon the government to buy food grains from the farmers directly with higher price instead of buying food items from abroad.

BNP leader Mofazzal Karim termed the present food crisis as a "great crisis" and suggested procuring food in such way as the Awami League had procured when it was in power to face food crisis. Kazi Faruque suggested the government to streamline the food distribution system to face the present crisis.

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