Centre to prune Food Bill

The Union food ministry has proposed major changes to Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s pet project, the National Food Security Bill. The passage of the Bill has been long delayed due to differences between the ministry and policy makers.

The ministry’s alternative approach, called Plan B, suggests that the beneficiaries should be identified as a single category instead of being categorised as ‘general’ and ‘priority’. It has also proposed to reduce the food entitlement from 7 kg to 5 kg per person per month.

Sources said food minister K.V. Thomas is to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a week to get his approval for the changes.

To quell opposition to the Bill, Plan B allows the state governments and Union Territories “to evolve their own criteria for determining the excluded category and for identification of the people (to be benefited by the scheme).”

It makes it clear that the identification of the beneficiary group will not be based on the ongoing socioeconomic and caste census.

Sweetening the pill further, Plan B says that the expenditure on inter-state transportation and handling of food grains may be met by the Centre.

Proposed changes by the Union food ministry to Gandhi’s pet project, the National Food Security Bill are waiting for PM Manmohan Singh’s nod.

Sources said that the ministry, if permitted by the Prime Minister, will move the changes in the Parliamentary Standing Committee which is examining the Bill.

The Union food ministry’s Plan B for the Food Security Bill says that only an enabling provision may be made in the Bill for grievance redressal mechanism at the district and state levels or setting up of the State Food Commissions, leaving it to states to appoint/constitute them or use the existing set up for the purpose.

While the Bill retains ICDS and Mid-Day Meal Schemes and other existing welfare schemes, provision for meals to destitutes, homeless, emergency/disaster affected persons and persons living in starvation may be dropped, as Plan B says that "they are difficult to implement."