Know more about Food Security Ordinance

New Delhi: The Food Security Bill, a pet project of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, was tabled in the Budget session of Parliament but could not be taken up for discussion due to pandemonium in the Lok Sabha over various scams. However, government is keen on issuing an Ordinance for early implementation of the Bill. An ordinance is a legal order or law made by the State Government or the Union Government when the Legislature or Parliament is not in session, this a temporary arrangement made by the said government with regard to such a law & its implementation in the State or the whole of the country as the case may be. Such ordinance is legal and can be implemented for the time being, but it has to be passed by the State legislature or the parliament within six months & made as a proper Act. If the President signs it, then the ordinance will have to come into immediate effect. The ordinance carries the provisions of the Bill, which aims to provide subsidised foodgrain to around 67% of India's 1.2 billion people. Around 800 million people would thus get the subsidised grain, at an initial cost of around Rs. 1.3 lakh crore. There has been an unease among Congress leaders over the delay to Food Bill. Many now feel that the right time to pass the Bill is already over as some expect that it would take between six to nine months to prepare the groundwork and ensuring smooth implementation of the Bill or the ordinance. The Congress's decision has come despite massive protests from parties such as Samajwadi Party, Left Front, Trinamool Congress, BJP and NCP. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, too, has expressed his reservation on this issue on many occasions. The BJP said the Congress should have called a special session or preponed the Monsoon Session. Let's have a look on the features of the proposed bill which is seen as a prospective vote winner for the ruling party in next year's general election: • The bill seeks to classify the citizens into Priority households and Antyodaya Households. The priority households are entitled to 5 Kgs of food grain per person-per month; whereas the Antyodaya households are entitled to 35 Kgs of food grain per month-per household. The food grains will be distributed through the existing Public Distribution System (PDS) at Rs. 3, 2, 1 for rice, wheat and millet respectively. • The bill proposes pregnant and lactating women be provided a nutritious meal at the local anganwadi during pregnancy and six months after childbirth. • It also proposes monetary benefits of not less than 6000 rupees in installments. • The bill proposes that children from the age group of six months to six years be provided one ‘age appropriate' meal at the local anganwadi. • For children in the age group of six years to 14 years, midday meal to be provided every day, except on school holidays, at the local government school, government aided school or schools run by local governing bodies. • The cost of the subsidy is to be shared by the central and state government. The specifications are yet to be prescribed by the Central government. • The state government shall prominently display the list of identified households in the public domain. In order to ensure transparency and better delivery of entitlement. The government plans to introduce certain reforms and decentralization of power. • Doorstep delivery of food grains to the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) outlets. • End-to-end computerisation of transactions to ensure transparency. • Aadhar card will be used for better identification of the beneficiaries. • Diversification of commodities distributed under TPDS. • The bill also talks about introduction of food coupons and cash transfers in lieu of their regular entitlements. However, no immediate implementation of this is prescribed in the bill. • The state government is to have a district level grievance redressal officer. It shall put in place internal grievance redressal mechanism which may include call centres and help lines. • In order to empower women, the bill states that the eldest women, who shall not be less than 18 years of age, be designated the head of the household and is responsible for the issue of ration cards. But this bill will have and adverse effect on farmers and producers. The very low prices of the subsidized food will distort the market and farmers who can't sell to the government-assured program will lose out on the open market because prices will be forced down. Hence the person who are not poor at present but will become poor in days to come.