Govt sets ball rolling for Food Security Bill

Highly placed sources said,a major issue before the GoM was the initial draft of the proposed bill. “The meeting would try and forge a consensus among the ministries ministries,” they said. The meeting is likely to discuss the issue of deciding who could be entitled to subsidised food. There seems to be a growing voice within the UPA on whether only those living below the poverty line be entitled,or whether it should be open to everyone,irrespective of income. The GoM is expected to take a call on this issue as the financial stakes are high. Funding subsidised food for all would imply a cost of over Rs 45,000 crore under the existing policies. When the Suresh Tendulkar Committee’s statistic of about 38 per cent of Indians being BPL is taken,it would entail a financial burden of Rs 65,000 crore.

The fresh efforts comes amid Prime Minister Manmohan Singh exuding confidence of better prospects for the farm sector this year along with moderation of food inflation. With drought wreaking havoc on agriculture,the Bill could not materialise so far as the government had to intervene and mitigate the rigours of the drought,which dragged the sector’s growth down.