Draft food security bill offers cash in lieu of grains
30 May 2011
The draft food security bill prepared by the food ministry and forwarded to a panel of ministers seeks to cover 68 per cent of the population under the right to subsidised food, according to various unconfirmed reports.
It also makes it compulsory for state governments to pay a cash allowance to targeted sections in case of failure to supply foodgrain. The amount of food security allowance will be decided by the central government, according to The Economic Times, which says it has seen the draft.
After analysing the recommendations of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) and Rangarajan Committee, the food ministry has prepared the draft bill, likely to be placed before an empowered group of ministers (EGoM) on food next week.
The ministry has also proposed to provide subsidised food grain on 'individual basis' instead of the current practice of allocating 35kg of wheat or rice to per family, according to other reports.
The bill calls for improved "modern and scientific" storage and doorstep delivery of grain to targeted public distribution system outlets, says the report.
The National Food Security Act 2011 would be the most wide-reaching legislation of the UPA government in its second term in office. It covers all India, except Jammu and Kashmir.
