New Delhi: The UPA’s flagship social welfare scheme, the food security ordinance, is expected to be rolled out in all Congress-ruled states on August 20, the birthday of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, informed sources said.
The sources said that this was disclosed by party chief ministers at a meeting with the Congress’ top leadership yesterday.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and her Haryana counterpart Bhupinder Singh Hooda said they were ready to roll out the scheme from August 20, the sources said.
However, party general secretary Ajay Maken said that the implementation would start “very soon” but did not give a date.
“The chief ministers said they would ensure that provisions of the ordinance would start getting implemented at the very soon in their respective states,” Maken told reporters after the
meet.
The top Congress leadership including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party president Sonia Gandhi, and vice president Rahul Gandhi, discussed the implementation of the ordinance, which aims to provide subsidised rations to around 67 percent of India’s 1.2 billion population.
In the run-up to the launch, the Congress will send its spokespersons across the country from tomorrow to give wider publicity to the right to food ordinance, party leaders said.
The right to food scheme is aimed to be a “game changer” ahead of the five assembly polls this year and the 2014 general elections.
However, Maken said the move should not be linked to the coming polls.
“Please don’t link it to the polls. It was our 2009 poll promise aimed at social welfare,” he said.
“It is a game changer as it will empower 820m Indians with a legal right to food and will serve as a bulwark to fight against malnutrition and deprivation,” he added.
As many as 13 Congress chief ministers attended the meeting barring Uttarakhand’s Vijay Bahuguna who could not come as he is busy with flood relief.
Food Minister K V Thomas made a presentation and clarified the queries raised by the chief ministers.
“The chief ministers were appreciative that the ordinance is based on a life cycle approach that ensures adequate food for every age group starting from the time when a child is in his mother’s womb,” said Maken. He said the ordinance will bring an additional burden of Rs238bn, which was negligible given the total plan size of the country.
He also said the expected cost of implementing the ordinance would have no adverse impact on the fiscal deficit target of 4.8 percent this fiscal.
Among those deputed for holding press conferences in various state capitals to publicise the food ordinance include party spokespersons Renuka Chowdhary, Sandeep Dikshit, Bhakta Charan Das, Meem Afzal, Haryana minister Randeep Singh Surjewala and others.
“They would start visiting state capitals from July 15,” said Maken.
The first conference would be addressed by Chowdhury in Mumbai tomorrow according to the plan. The government hopes to pass the ordinance in the coming monsoon session of parliament, which is likely to start in the third week of August.
According to the constitution, an ordinance has to be passed within six weeks of the date of the next session of parliament commencing.
The Congress expects the opposition ruled states to also follow suit and implement the welfare scheme in public good, said sources. IANS
