Based on the analysis of the two, the ministry is preparing a note which will be sent to Empowered Group of Minister (EGoM) for final decision.
With over two drafts of the proposed Food Security Bill ready with it, the government is gearing up to implement the legislation.
KV Thomas, minister of state in the ministry of consumer affairs, food & public distribution, said his ministry has received a draft bill of the Food Security from the National Advisory Council and views of the Economic Advisory Council.
Based on the analysis of the two, the ministry is preparing a note which will be sent to Empowered Group of Minister (EGoM) for final decision.
The law will make it compulsory for state governments to supply food grains to the poor or pay a food security allowance in case of failure to supply food grains.
The scheme aims to cover about three-fourths of the population and is seen as an answer to India’s hunger situation.
In a radical shift from existing practice where man is accepted as the head of the family, the new law will acknowledge mother as the head.
“It is a step towards women empowerment . Since they are most vulnerable the situation cannot change unless they are made head,” said Salman Khurshid, member of the Group of Ministers.
There is also going to be a policy against food wastage.
Besides, an ambitious programme for the revamping of Public Distribution System (PDS) currently on the anvil. “The computerisation of PDS and making its data ADHAR compatible are already afoot in states like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh,” Thomas said.
Meanwhile, after keeping its export and strict control for over three years, India may export about one million tonnes of wheat and rice this year due to bumper crops and overflowing storage.
“The food ministry is not averse to exports, but we will have to look at demand in view of the Food Security Bill. We will place the issue before the EGoM,” Thomas said. The minister, however, refused to comment if the bumper crops can result in reducing high food prices.
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