Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Govt hopes to introduce food bill in Budget session: PM

Govt hopes to introduce food bill in Budget session: PM

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Feb 24, 2011   modified Modified on Feb 24, 2011
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the government is trying to introduce the proposed National Food Security Bill that seeks to provide a legal guarantee for cheaper foodgrains to the poor, in the Budget session of Parliament.

"...we hope to bring to this session of Parliament the National Food Security Bill, which would give the people the right to food as the constitutional right," Singh told Rajya Sabha while replying to a debate on the motion of thanks on the President's address.

The Budget session of Parliament has started from February 21 and is likely to conclude on April 21 this year.

Singh also stressed on the need to strengthen the public distribution system (PDS) to implement the proposed bill.

The Bill aims to provide the poor a legal guarantee for cheaper rice and wheat and was a part of the Congress' 2009 election manifesto.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council (NAC) is working on a draft Bill. The NAC has proposed a legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrains for 75 per cent of the country's total population.

According to NAC's proposal, the government should provide 35 kg of foodgrains a month to "priority households" at a subsidised rate of Rs 1 per kg for millet, Rs 2 for wheat and Rs 3 for rice.

For "general category" households, the NAC has suggested supplying 20 kg of foodgrains at a price not exceeding 50 per cent of the prevailing minimum support price (Rs 5.50 a kg for wheat and Rs 7.70 per kg for rice now).

After examining the NAC proposals, the Prime Minister's panel, headed by PMEAC chief C Rangarajan, has raised concerns over availability of the foodgrain to implement the NAC proposal. The panel suggested providing legal guarantee to the poor on a priority basis.

The projected requirement of foodgrains to implement NAC proposal is higher than the current average procurement of 50-54 million tonnes, Rangarajan had observed.

The government supplies subsidised rice and wheat through ration shops to Rs 6.52 crore below poverty line families and Rs 11.5 crore above poverty families. But there are no legal guarantees for this at present.

The Economic Times, 24 February, 2011, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/govt-hopes-to-introduce-food-bill-in-budget-session-pm/articleshow/7564885.cms


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close