New Delhi: The union cabinet yesterday approved the National Food Security Bill which aims to give the right to food to around 67 percent of the country’s 1.2 billion people, official sources said.
“The cabinet has approved the bill. We will try to bring it in the Lok Sabha this week,” Food Minister K V Thomas told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
The cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, cleared the bill, a dream project of Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. According to officials, the bill will give 67 percent of citizens entitlement to 5kg rations per person each month at Rs3 per kg for rice, Rs2 per kg for wheat and Re1 per kg for coarse grains.
The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2011 and had been sent to a parliamentary standing committee for further consideration.
In the bill, the government had proposed 7kg of grain per month per person to “priority households” and at least 3kg of foodgrain at half the price for “general households”. The current entitlement of 35kg grain per month for 2.4 crore poorest of the poor families under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana will be protected in the bill, said officials.
Though 71 amendments have been proposed to the bill after taking into account the recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee on food, only five to six are major ones, said officials. According to officials, women with more than two children will also be entitled to nutritional support under the bill.
IANS
