Food security focus of UPA-II promos

The government’s proposed initiative on food security is likely to hog the advertising limelight over the coming months, it is learnt. ‘Food security’ has been the flavour of the season ever since President Pratibha Patil mentioned it in her inaugural speech to Parliament recently.

Subsequently, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is believed to have written to prime minister Manmohan Singh, highlighting the need for a law to ensure food security. This was one of the electoral promises of the UPA government. The food security law is all about eradication of hunger and malnutrition. According to the draft bill, every family living below the poverty line will be entitled to 25 kg of rice or wheat per month at Rs 3 per kg.

Bharat Nirman, which was the flagship programme of the UPA government in the past five years, would also make a comeback in the media ad space, a source pointed out. The government has decided to raise the targets for the programme during the current regime.

Bharat Nirman’s objective was to improve infrastructure in rural areas of the country—mainly in the areas of power, road, telecom, housing and irrigation.

The Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), under the information & broadcasting (I&B) ministry, is expected to start working on the food security campaigns soon. According to the annual report of DAVP for 2008-09, the expenditure on print media ad campaigns was to the tune of Rs 280 crore.

The president, in her inaugural address to Parliament, had said that “a continuing priority of my government would be to consolidate the ongoing flagship programmes for inclusion.” She had also listed out 10 broad areas of priority for the government in the next five years. The priority areas included introduction of new flagship programmes for food security.

Elaborating on the focus area, the president had pointed out that the government proposed “to enact a new law — the National Food Security Act — that will provide a statutory basis for a framework which assures food security for all.”