Highlights - national food security bill, 2011, now approved

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Sourav Banerjee MA,MSW

Shabda Bramha

8842 Points Joined July 2011

Highlights of the National Food Security Bill, 2011

On Sunday, 18/12/2011, the Cabinet cleared the National Food Security Bill, 2011. The Bill is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament this week.

People living below poverty line (BPL) has been termed as Priority Group(PG)/Priority Household(PH): PG/PH to be allotted 7 kg grain/month/person or 35kg grain/month/family, provided with Rice @ Rs. 3/kg, Wheat @ Rs.2/kg, Millets @ Rs.1/kg.
The remaining of the targeted population (above poverty line) has been termed as General Group (GG): GG to be allotted @ 3kg/person/month at half of minimum support price given to farmers.
Mid-day meal scheme and ICDS has been brought under the Bill.
The target population is LEGALLY ENTITLED to cheap grain and millet.
63.5% of the total population will be covered as per the Bill out of whom 75% will be from rural area and 50% from urban area.
46% of the PG/PH in rural areas will be covered as proposed in the Bill, whereas for urban areas the same will be 28%.
Lactating mothers will be given Rs. 1000 a month for 6 months and also nutritional support.
Children up to the age of 14 years will get nutritional support.
Persons residing in disaster-affected areas will get 2 free meals/day up to 3 months; non-compliance will attract penalty of Rs.5000 for the responsible public servant.

The implementation of proposals contained in the said Bill will burden the Exchequer with an extra Rs. 27,973 crore a year. Annual food subsidy bill will go up from Rs. 67,000 crore to Rs. 94,973 Crore. Grain requirement will be 62 million tones.

Our featured member CS Richank Garg has posted on the same topic with the title Union cabinet clears national food bill. While Richank has discussed the general aspects of the Bill along with discussions on the draft Lokpal Bill, I have tried to present the salient features of the NAtional Food Security Bill whose draft I've given in my previous post and can be found at /forum/national-food-security-bill-2011-180409.asp

Later, I wish to discuss some disadvantages of this seemingly only-pro-poor Bill.

Regards.

Replies (5)

Sanket

!..Live to Give..!

16427 Points Joined December 2010

Its Coverage:

*Up to 75 per cent of the rural population with at least 46 per cent belonging to priority households

*Up to 50 per cent of urban population with at least 28 per cent belonging to priority households

*About 64 per cent of the country’s total population to be covered under the proposed law Entitlement

*Seven kg of foodgrains per person per month for priority households

*Minimum 3 kg of foodgrains per person per month for general households Prices

*Rs 3, 2, 1 per kg for rice, wheat and coarse grains for priority households

*Not exceeding 50 per cent of minimum support price (MSP) for wheat and coarse grains and derived MSP for rice for general households

*Maternity benefits of Rs 1,000 per month for six months for pregnant women and lactating mothers, estimated to benefit about 2.25 crore women

*Provision of meals, free of charge or at affordable prices, to special groups such as destitute, homeless, person living in starvation and emergency/disaster affected person

*Children up to eights class to get nutritional meals *Additional food subsidy Rs 27,663 crore per annum *Rs 1,10,600 crore investment in agriculture required to increase production.

My View:

I appreciate the deficiencies in the bill and hope parliament will pass it with the intention to pass on the real benefits to poor without any discrimination in what ever form. The important thing to be noted is that the welfare state has become a media to pass on only residual economic benefits to poor instead of taking the economic policies towards making the state without poor. All policies particularly economic policies after so called liberalization are supporting rich to become rich and just to avoid any rebelliousness among the poor such measures are being taken.Thus such policies should not be praised but need to be opposed. Just taking a plea that we cannot avoid the rich becoming rich and poor need to be protected some how, will not help or harm in long run as the criteria and reaching actual benefits will always be in disputes.

Hope it will not become the new Corruption Gateway......

Sourav Banerjee MA,MSW

Shabda Bramha

8842 Points Joined July 2011

This Bill, with all the pro-poor agenda, needs to be viewed in connection with the Seeds Bill, 2004.

Sourav Banerjee MA,MSW

Shabda Bramha

8842 Points Joined July 2011

Thank you very much Dear Sanket, for your value addition.

Sanket

!..Live to Give..!

16427 Points Joined December 2010

No need to thankx sir.....

You are Welcome....

Madhukar

Service

158 Points Joined October 2011

Thanks for sharing and really after going through the national food security bill, It really made me think about the exisiting level of food security in India. Despite 60+ years of independence, now we are proposing to frame the mechanism? I wonder how it was being ensured so far specially considering the existing roots of corruptions and the lack of monitoring mechanism which is now being proposed to set up. Every year Rs.100 of crores are budgeted for this purpose but it was really sad to notice still we don't have substantial success on this front, we have been assinged the lowest place in terms of malnutrition, etc.. Hopefully this will prove to be landmark, otherwise everyone will make count for himself as always happens in many schemes.....