Ahmedabad, 11 July 2013

Gujarat Congress today in a statement issued here said that the party shall organize food security right rallies across the state in 37 towns/district centers and 235 taluka centers for awareness on Congress-led UPA government’s decision to implement the Food Security Act.

According to a statement issued by Gujarat Congress, the awareness campaign will be brought to ward level through local group meetings, awareness events, writing slogans on walls, meetings of Anganwadi/mid-day meal/sarva shiksha abhiyan/asha worker women, seminars and other ways.

Sharing the details of this new initiative taken by the Congress-led UPA government, state Congress Spokesperson Dr. Manish Doshi said, “country’s 70% rural and 50% urban population has been covered under this act. The Government of India will spend Rs. 1.25 lakh crore per year for implementation of this act to provide food to 70% people of country. Each person, be it below poverty line or above poverty line, will be supplied 5 kg grain, each family will get 35 kg grain. Wheat shall be offered for Rs. 2 per Kg, rice Rs. 3 per Kg, Corn Re. 1 per Kg. To keep the prices further down, state government are allowed to contribute their own portion. State governments can increase their contribution and make grain availability completely free. State governments are free to continue present schemes for Antyoday and BPL families. Kids ( 6 months to 3 year age ) will be given nutritious cooked food to take to home from Anganwadi centers for free. Children (standard 1 to 8) will be given fresh cooked nutritious food in schools. Pregnant and breast-feeding women would be provided nutritious food at Anganwadi centers. Every pregnant mother will be given Rs. 1,000 per month for six month period. Thus total Rs. 6,000 will be distributed.”

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme and the Food Security Act are being considered as major moves by the Congress ahead of the 2014 general elections as was the farmers’ loan waiver scheme and MNREGA announced in UPA-I. The loan waiver and MNREGA schemes were credited among other issues for the return of UPA to power in 2009.

Congress-ruled Delhi, where Assembly polls are due later this year, is all set to become the first state in the country to roll out the food security scheme.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has said that the programme will be launched on August 20, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

As per the ordinance signed by President Pranab Mukherjee, the new food security programme should be rolled out within six months. The rules for implementation of this programme will be framed separately by the Centre and the respective state governments.

Congress is projecting the food security bill as a game changer, and in this regard Sonia Gandhi has called a meeting of its Chief Ministers and PCC chiefs on July 13 to discuss the issue.

The experts however believe that Sonia Gandhi’s Food Security Bill (FSB)will damage the fiscal situation and also give inflation another push is something most economists accept. Read this report on this line.