Budget may usher in food security,law to come later

The token allocation,at a time of fiscal stringency,is intended to help the UPA to assert its dedication to its political manifesto and woo voters ahead of scheduled polls in 2014,they said. Food minister KV Thomas has said that the government needs an extra Rs 20,000 crore annually for implementing the food security law.

Chidambarams announcement would be a marked departure from the 2012-13 Budget when food subsidy allocation was deliberately kept at Rs 75,000 crore as against Rs 79,800 crore required for NFSB. The low allocation was seen as UPAs reluctance to implement the flagship programme from 2012-13.

An indication to Chidambarams Budget provisioning came last week when President Pranab Mukherjee expressed the Centres commitment to enact the NFSB following record foodgrain output in the last two years.

My government is committed to enacting the National Food Security Bill, Mukherjee asserted while addressing the joint sitting of Parliament last Thursday. A revised Bill,to be re-introduced in Budget session,is currently being vetted by the law ministry after including the Standing Committees recommendation.

The scheme,a pet project of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi,proposes 67 per cent coverage for the countrys population with a uniform allocation of five kg of foodgrain per person every month in a mix of Rs 3 per kg of rice,Rs 2 per kg of wheat or Re 1 per kg of millet.

Food for all

P Chidambarams Budget speech may highlight extra food subsidy of Rs 12,000 crore to herald the start of the NFSB from 2013

The token allocation could help the UPA assert its dedication to its political manifesto and

woo voters ahead of the polls in 2014