THE CONTENT
- Guarantees legal entitlement for cheap food to 67% of population
- To ensure 5 kg of rice, wheat or coarse cereals is supplied at Rs 3 a kg, Rs 2 a kg and Rs 1 a kg, respectively, to all identified beneficiaries
THE COST
- When implemented fully, it is expected to cost the exchequer Rs 1,24,724 crore, Rs 34,724 crore more than the 2013-14 Budget estimate of food subsidy
WHY AN ORDINANCE?
- When tabled in the Lok Sabha, the food security Bill could not be passed because of pandemonium during the Budget session
- Highlights the govt’s urgency to bring the programme ahead of the polls, especially because it expects Parliament’s monsoon session to be a troubled one
THE WAY FORWARD
- The ordinance comes into effect as soon as the President gives his go-ahead
- Then, it will need to be passed in both Houses within six weeks of the next Parliament sitting
HURDLES
- Political parties have widely divergent views on the Bill and the route taken to implement it
Source: http://to.ly/mf48
