Food Bill to be placed before Cabinet today

New Delhi, December 12
The Food Ministry is expected to place before the Cabinet on Tuesday UPA’s ambitious National Food Security Bill (NFSB), seeking to provide legal guarantee for subsidised foodgrains to the poor.

Once cleared by the Cabinet, the draft Bill, believed to be closer to the version mooted by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s National Advisory Council (NAC), will be tabled in Parliament.

Sources say that starting 2012 fiscal, the NFSB will be rolled out in phases to achieve for the Congress-led UPA in 2014 what MNREGA and farmers’ loan-waiver scheme had for the coalition during the 2009 general elections.

The draft Bill, changed quite a bit on Congress president’s intervention, will now fulfil a wider social agenda in sync with NAC’s recommendations. The bill may, therefore, follow a life-cycle approach with provisions for everyone - infants and lactating mothers to senior citizens, homeless and destitute.

Expected to cost 1.20 lakh crore to the exchequer, almost double of what it cost the government to run the PDS, the huge bill for fulfilling the ambitious plan will be taken care of by converging different government schemes under one comprehensive food law. The Planning Commission has apparently suggested integrating schemes like Integrated Child Development Scheme, Mid-day Meal programme and Janani Suraksha scheme for would-be mothers under the proposed Act to take care of the huge resources required.

The annual grain requirement is also forecast to rise to 69 to 70 million, 10 MT more from the current requirement. This means that the government may have to pay more to farmers to ensure increased foodgrain production. If the cash-handout of Rs 1,000 per month for six months to lactating women is also taken into account, the government may have to foot a Bill of 1.40 lakh crore annually.

The draft, however, is understood to be silent on grievances redressal. Sources say this aspect, as also the number of beneficiaries, may be included later through an amendment or a separate law. With a separate grievance redress bill on the anvil, the Centre may just depend on it to cover lapses under the food law.

Meanwhile, the evaluation and social auditing will be done by the panchayats to increase their involvement.

The government also seems to have given-in midway to NAC’s recommendation on provisions under the PDS. The NAC wanted the “general category above poverty line” to get 20 kg of foodgrains as compared to the 35 kg provided to the “priority category”. The first draft scaled it down to 3 kg per individual for a five-person family. The new draft, it seems, will add the term “minimum” to this 3 kg with a provision to increase it in future depending upon the situation and stocks

The Act, incidentally, seeks to provide legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrains to 75 per cent of the country's rural population and 50 per cent of urban India.

Food Minister KV Thomas told the Rajya Sabha today that under the new Bill, the distribution, evaluation and deciding the particular sectors had almost been entrusted to Panchayati Raj Institutions. “Actually, distribution is the responsibility of the state government, and we have suggested that the state governments should strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions,” he said.

To be rolled out in phasesl Starting 2012 fiscal, the scheme will be rolled out in phases. l The draft Bill will fulfil a wider social agenda in sync with NAC's recommendations. l The Bill will have provisions for everyone, infants and lactating mothers to senior citizens, homeless and destitute. l Expected to cost Rs 1.2 lakh crore to the exchequer.