Securing the Food Right in India

At a time when the nation is undergoing an economical crisis, a ray of hope shines above the gloomy economy “The National Food Security Bill 2013”.The food security programme when implemented will be the biggest in the world with the government spending estimated at 1.2 lakh crore rupees annually.

The bill is aimed at giving legal rights to 67 percent of the population for a uniform quantity of 5 kg food grains at a fixed price of Rs 1-3 per kg through ration shops.

At a grim current situation where the Indian currency has taken a toll and economy fails to get back at its suitable place, it’s the poor who are stricken by the grave economic trough. This programme, which would provide highly subsidized food to about two-thirds of India’s population, is seen by many as a means of relief to India’s poor.

If the food security bill is implemented properly it will benefit the country by raising the poor households’ expenditure of education, health, and nutritious food, according to a research report from CRISIL. Thus providing households with additional disposable income, households will in effect move up the income bracket. In the case of rural households, spending on education and medical expenditure will increase as income increases. If this happens; this will help increase investments by households in their future.

Here are some of the highlights of this bill:

·         Up to three-quarters of people in the rural areas and up to half of the urban population would get five kilograms of grains per month at subsidized prices (3 rupees per kilo for rice, 2 rupees per kilo for wheat and 1 rupee per kilo for coarse grains).

·         The poorest households would continue to receive 35 kilograms of grains per month under the “Antyodaya Anna Yojana” at subsidized prices.

·         Pregnant women and lactating mothers would receive a maternity benefit of at least 6,000 rupees.

·         Children aged six months to 14 years would get take-home ration or hot cooked food.

·         The central government also would provide money to states and union territories if it runs low on grain.

·         The central government also would provide “assistance” towards the cost of intra-state transportation, handling of grains.

·         In a bid to give women more authority in running their households, the oldest adult woman in each house would be considered the head of that household for issue of ration card.

If the exercise is carried out correctly, several BPL households, which currently do not have access to the PDS, will be given some form of identity proof that will, for the first time, make them eligible for purchasing food grains at the subsidized rate from the PDS.

In addition to guaranteeing food security to poor households, the bill could serve as a means to improve their discretionary spending and thereby improve their quality of life.

In the end I’d like to point out that the ‘Indian National Food Security Bill” is a great effort to arrest hunger and malnutrition in the country and such efforts are both affordable for the government, and in fact, beneficial for the long term sustainability of the Indian economy.

For more detail on the INDIAN NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY BILL 2013 click on the following link:

http://goo.gl/dUP14