Conflict, population displacement and high food prices mean millions of people in South Sudan face hunger this year, two U.N. food agencies said on Wednesday.

The number of people with insecure food supplies has risen to 4.7 million in 2012 from 3.3 million in 2011, a report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) said.

Of those, about one million people are severely food insecure, and that number could double if fighting continues and prices keep rising, the report said.

Even as the government is pushing through Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s pet project - the National Food Security Bill - two key members of the Cabinet - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar - today voiced their concern over crucial aspects related to the proposed law that aims to make food a legal entitlement. While Mukherjee’s main worry was the country’s skyrocketing subsidy Bill, Pawar’s concern revolves around whether the existing mechanism was compatible enough to implement the proposed Food Security Act.

Reiterating his opposition to the proposed National Food Security Bill, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said it would be difficult to implement the law through existing Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), which has a lot of loopholes. “Public distribution system involving the procurement, transportation, storage and distribution is extremely complex and this is what makes it vulnerable at every stage.

Kerala on Wednesday raised serious apprehensions on the effectiveness of the proposed national food security law as it could remove large number of poor families from the beneficiary list besides putting enormous financial burden on the state. Shibu Baby John, food and civil supplies minister, Kerala said the centre must apply separate socio-economic critieria for choosing beneficiaries under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) as because of better human index of the state, many families could be deprived from getting benefits of subsidised grain.

Fishermen held a demonstration in the city on Tuesday against India’s controversial Tipaimukh dam saying it would adversely affect livelihoods and life of over three lakh fishermen in Bangladesh’s north-eastern districts.

Speaking at a rally in front of the National Press Club fishermen’s leaders said that at least 10 rivers in Bangladesh including the Surma, Kushiyara and Meghna would dry up causing gradual desertification in the northeastern districts of lower riparian Bangladesh.

They said it would directly affect the life and livelihood of the country’s fishermen.

The delayed response and less intervention from the government in early framework for the rehabilitation of rain flooded affected peoples jeopardise the lives of 4.8 million including 2.4 million children and 1.2 million women.

This was stated by members of People Accountability Commission on Floods (PACF) while launching Civil Society Floods Situation Report (CSFR) in a press conference held at Hyderabad Press Club on Tuesday.

Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today said it will be difficult to implement the proposed Food Security Act with existing distribution system and suggested massive reforms.

“I will be failing in my duty if I do not emphasise the fact that the Food Security Act will never succeed in achieving its goal in letter and spirit, if we try to push the same through the existing PDS apparatus,” Mr. Pawar said at a conference here.