Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday he appreciated the Supreme Court's sentiment behind its suggestion about distributing foodgrain free to the poor, but made it clear that it was not a practical idea.

"How can foodgrain be distributed free to an estimated 37 percent of the population which lives below the poverty line," Manmohan Singh asked during an interaction with editors at his official residence. He said this when asked about a recent Supreme Court order directing Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to distribute foodgrain free to the poor instead of allowing it to rot.