New Delhi: The landmark Food Security Bill,
that gives legal right to cheaper foodgrains to 63.5 per cent
of the country's population, will come up for scrutiny by a
Parliamentary panel next week.
The ambitious social legislation strongly pushed by
Congress President Sonia Gandhi has faced stiff opposition
from some state governments as well as key UPA ally Trinamool
Congress.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food, Consumer
Affairs and Public Distribution will formally take up the bill
for its consideration on January 23.
The Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha during the Winter
Session, was recently referred to the Committee by Speaker
Meira Kumar.
The Committee, headed by Congress MP Vilas Muttemwar, will
elicit the views of various political parties and
representatives of the civil society before firming up its
views on the subject.
It seeks to provide food and nutritional security by
ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at
affordable prices to people to enable them to live a life with
dignity.
The bill proposes to provide people eligible under the
priority category a monthly allotment of 7 kg foodgrains,
comprising rice, wheat and coarse grains, per person. Rice
will be provided at Rs 3 kg, wheat at Rs 2 and coarse grains
at Re one.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 22:25