Food Security Bill may leave some stewing

The UPA government, facing a steep fiscal deficit, plans to merge several operational food schemes into the proposed Food Security
Bill. The government was planning to introduce the Bill in the budget session of Parliament, but it could face hurdles.

The move, if implemented, will reduce the entitled quantity of foodgrains for every below-poverty-line (BPL) family by 10 kg, other schemes — such as Antyodaya Anna Yojana and Targeted Public Distribution Scheme (TPDS) — entitle every BPL family to 35 kg of foodgrains, as against 25 kg in the bill.

A note prepared by the government says that while institution-based plans such as the Mid-Day Meal and Integrated Child Development Scheme may continue, others such as Antyodaya, Annapurna, Emergency Feeding Programme and TPDS for below-poverty-line and above-poverty-line families may be merged with the proposed Food Security Bill.

The Antyodaya Anna Yojna covers the poorest stratum of population. Foodgrains are being provided to 2.5 crore of the poorest families in the BPL category at highly subsidised rates — Rs 2 per kg of wheat and Rs 3 per kg of rice — by the Food Corporation of India. Antyodaya is also the biggest food security scheme in the world. However, price of foodgrains under these schemes may also change, depending on its availability, the government note has hinted.

While the Food Security Bill is high on the UPA government’s agenda, arranging funds to introduce such a mass-scale scheme is seen as a challenge for the administration.

The government is also in a dilemma over the actual statistics of BPL people in India. While the Planning Commission estimates that 27% of the country’s total population is living below poverty line, the Suresh Tendulkar committee has pegged the figure at 37.8%. The estimates of the N C Saxena committee, set up by the rural development ministry, suggest that almost half of the total population of the country is living below poverty line, while the Gupta committee puts it at 70%.