The Supreme Court of India came down heavily on the Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday and condemned his comments made on August 19 that rotting food grains in godowns cannot be distributed to the poor for free.

Sharad Pawar had earlier said in a statement that the directive from the SC regarding rotting food grains is only a suggestion and not an order.

Reacting to Mr. Pawar's comments, the Supreme Court, on Tuesday, issued a strong statement that "Free of cost distribution of food grains was a part of the order." The directive also told the minister that the statement was not just an observation but an order. The Supreme Court warned Sharad Pawar not to make such comments in the future. The court also asked the Central Government to conduct a fresh survey to determine the number of people living under the poverty line.

This case came as a big jolt to Mr. Pawar, who is also the President of the ICC, as he was busy sorting out the match fixing scandal involving Pakistani players. The issue caused a furor in the Parliament with opposition leaders demanding the Minster for answers. Analysts have found out that nearly 2.87 million tonnes of food grains are rotting every month. This could be used to feed more than 40 million people per month.