Cabinet likely to take up Ordinance on Food Bill on June 13

The Cabinet is likely to consider on Thursday a proposal to promulgate an Ordinance for implementing the government's most ambitious Food bill.

The Food Security bill, a pet project of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, was tabled in the Budget session of Parliament but could not be taken up for discussion due to pandemonium in the Lok Sabha over various scams. However, government is keen on issuing an Ordinance for early implementation of the bill.

"The Cabinet meeting is scheduled for June 13. The proposal to bring promulgation of the National Food Security Ordinance 2013 under article 123 (1) of the Constitution to provide for Food Security is on the agenda list," an highly placed source said.

The talk in the political circles is that the government wants to issue an Ordinance for Food Bill before the Monsoon session to initiate groundwork at the state level for smooth implementation of the bill.

The government will later propose to replace the Ordinance, which has effective life of six months, with a law by political consensus in the Monsoon session of Parliament, they added.

The Food bill is aimed at giving legal rights to 67% of the population over a uniform quantity of 5 kg foodgrains at a fixed price of Rs 1-3 per kg through ration shops.

Congress considers the Bill as a game changer in the next elections.