| Agriculture / Rural development
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The National Food Security Bill, 2011
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Highlights of the Bill
- The Bill proposes foodgrain entitlements for up to 75 percent of the rural and up to 50 percent of the urban population. Of these, at least 46 percent of the rural and 28 percent of the urban population will be designated as priority households. The rest will be designated as general households.
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| Image Credit: www.pib.nic.in |
- Priority households will be entitled to 7 kg of subsidised foodgrains per person per month. General households will be entitled to at least 3 kg.
- The central government will determine the percentage of people in each state that will belong to the priority and general groups. State governments will identify households that belong to these groups.
- The Bill proposes meal entitlements to specific groups. These include: pregnant women and lactating mothers, children between the ages of six months and 14 years, malnourished children, disaster affected persons, and destitute, homeless and starving persons.
- Grievance redressal mechanisms will be set up at the district, state, and central levels of government.
- The Bill proposes reforms to the Targeted Public Distribution System.
Key Issues and Analysis
- The Bill classifies beneficiaries into three groups. The process of identifying beneficiaries and placing them into these groups may lead to large inclusion and exclusion errors.
- Several entitlements and the grievance redressal structure would require state legislatures to make adequate budgetary allocations. Implementation of the Bill may be affected if states do not pass requisite allocations in their budgets or do not possess adequate funds.
- The Bill does not provide a rationale for the cut-off numbers prescribed for entitlements to priority and general households.
- The grievance redressal framework may overlap with that provided in the Citizens’ Charter Bill that is pending in Parliament.
- Schedule III of the Bill specifies goals which may not be directly related to food security. It is unclear why these have been included in the Bill.
- The Bill provides similar definitions for starving and destitute persons. However, entitlements to the two groups differ.
Read the complete analysis here
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| Current Status: Pending |
| Ministry: Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution |
| Stage | Date |
| Introduction | Dec 22, 2011 |
| Com. Ref. | Jan 05, 2012 |
| Com. Rep. | Jan 17, 2013 |
| Lok Sabha | Introduced |
| Rajya Sabha | |
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| That 66% number, Financial Express, May 20, 2013
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| Congress still keen on passage of Food Bill, Hindu, May 19, 2013
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| Govt ponders special session for food bill, Hindustan Times, May 17, 2013
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| Procurement plunge casts shadow over food Bill, Financial Express, May 17, 2013
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| Food minister rules out ordinance on food bill, DNA, May 16, 2013
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| Food Security Bill: Law Ministry wants proper mechanism to be in place, Economic Times, May 15, 2013
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| Sonia to decide on ordinance route for land bill, Times of India, May 10, 2013
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| UPA weighs options on food security Bill, Live Mint, May 09, 2013
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| House stalemate could push food bill to next session, Hindustan Times, May 08, 2013
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| Pros and Cons of The Food Security Bill, Wall Street Journal, May 08, 2013
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| The Good and Bad of the Food Security Bill Read more: http://forbesindia.com/article/special/the-good-and-bad-of-the-food-security-bill/35135/1#ixzz2TWLqIDma, Forbes India, Apr 27, 2013
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| Food Security Bill is affordable, Business Line, Apr 15, 2013
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| Food subsidy is a plateful, Business Standard, Apr 06, 2013
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| Food as a right, Hindu, Apr 03, 2013
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| Revised Food Security Bill promises foodgrain to 67% Indians at Rs1-3/kg, DNA, Mar 19, 2013
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| Food Security Bill: 2/3rd of population to get foodgrain at Rs 1-3/kg, Economic Times, Mar 08, 2013
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| Food for granted, Business Standard, Feb 13, 2013
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| Centre should bear food Bill cost: Nitish Kumar, Times of India, Feb 13, 2013
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| Non-Congress states opposes food security bill, Economic Times, Feb 13, 2013
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| Centre to discuss Food Bill with states, Deccan Herald, Feb 11, 2013
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| Revised food bill will have wider reach, Times of India, Feb 06, 2013
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| Food Security Bill: Towards a Healthy Future, Business Today, Feb 06, 2013
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| One more step towards food security, Live Mint, Jan 31, 2013
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| Food Bill likely to be tweaked following Sonia’s suggestions, Live Mint, Jan 30, 2013
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| Govt puts food security Bill on fast track to Parliament, Live Mint, Jan 29, 2013
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| A bill on the table, DNA, Jan 20, 2013
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| The cost of food security, Hindu, Jan 20, 2013
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| Parliamentary panel may submit report on food bill today, Hindustan Times, Jan 17, 2013
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| Food Min hopeful of bringing Food Security Act in Winter Session, Business Standard, Nov 07, 2012
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| Shocking suggestions pour in for Food Security Bill, Economic Times, Oct 26, 2012
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| Akhilesh seeks changes in food security Bill, Times of India, Oct 25, 2012
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| Parliamentary panel to submit report on Food Bill in Winter Session, Economic Times, Oct 22, 2012
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| Activists demand effective National Food Security legislation, Business Standard, Oct 06, 2012
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| Panel writes to Bengal govt against food security bill, Indian Express, Oct 03, 2012
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| Food security Bill likely in next session, says Thomas, Financial Express, Sep 29, 2012
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| Food bill: Stretching the ceiling to 67%, Hindustan Times, Sep 05, 2012
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| A Bill that asks too much of the poor, Hindu, Sep 05, 2012
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| Coverage of food security must be reworked, factoring in trends on changing consumption spends, Economic Times, Aug 27, 2012
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| Booking a meal for tomorrow, Business Standard, Aug 26, 2012
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| Food security, Plan Z, Hindustan Times, Aug 22, 2012
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| Govt finally tweaks food security bill, DNA, Aug 15, 2012
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| Centre looks to expand Food Security Bill coverage to 67% of population, Economic Times, Aug 13, 2012
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| Food Security Bill to include 70% Indians, Business Standard, Jul 20, 2012
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| Food Bill: Govt looking at flexible plan, may exclude 33% population, Indian Express, Jul 19, 2012
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| PM to hold meeting on food security bill today, Times of India, Jul 18, 2012
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| PM to discuss alternative food Bill today, Business Standard, Jul 18, 2012
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| PM to chair food Bill meeting today, Indian Express, Jul 18, 2012
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| India’s Food Bill can set example for rest of world, Business Line, Jul 18, 2012
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| India’s Food Security Bill has potential to provide a benchmark for the rest of the world to follow, IDS, Jul 18, 2012
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| Govt seeks consensus on Food Bill, Deccan Herald, Jul 18, 2012
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| ‘India’s Food Bill can act as a benchmark’, Deccan Herald, Jul 17, 2012
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| PM to fine-tune food bill, Deccan Herald, Jul 15, 2012
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| Prepare Food Security Bill on PDS system: Bardhan, Business Standard, Jul 12, 2012
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| Objections raised over Food Security Bill, Times of India, Jul 07, 2012
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| Revised food bill mulls 5kg for each, 1 category, Deccan Chronicle, Jul 03, 2012
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| Left agitation on food security next month, Business Standard, Jun 27, 2012
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| Ministry preparing Plan B for food Bill, Business Standard, Jun 26, 2012
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| Govt starts work on Food Security Bill rules, brings in a consultant, Business Standard, Apr 16, 2012
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| Food Security Bill: KV Thomas to meet Jayalalithaa to resolve differences, Economic Times, Jan 18, 2012
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| Parliamentary panel on food bill to meet Jan 23, Economic Times, Jan 18, 2012
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| Centre asks states to boost procurement for Food Bill, Economic Times, Jan 11, 2012
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| Food Security Bill is somewhat defective, Times of India, Jan 06, 2012
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| A Bill to feed 800 mn people, DNA, Dec 25, 2011
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| Feeding the one billion, Hindustan Times, Dec 24, 2011
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| Cumbersome food bill could crumble under own weight, Hindustan Times, Dec 24, 2011
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| This is not food security, Indian Express, Dec 23, 2011
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| AIDWA wants Parliament to reject Food Security Bill, Hindu, Dec 23, 2011
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