Certain amendments to Food Bill proposed

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has asked for certain amendments in the Food Bill, which the Government of India intends to place before Parliament to replace the Food Security Ordinance.

In a letter to the Prime Minister today, the chief minister said that the Union government has unilaterally and hastily promulgated the National Food Security Ordinance, 2013.

"Though the ordinance claims to provide Food Security to all, unfortunately, contrary to such a claim, there are several flaws in the ordinance which have created serious apprehensions and actually raise the spectre of food insecurity for a state like Tamil Nadu," she said.

I have strong reasons to suspect that the Centre is deliberately trying to create a food security crisis for Tamil Nadu, on the one hand by adopting arbitrary principles and formulae for allocation of food grains in the guise of the Food Security Ordinance, and on the other hand by acting against the interests of the State in receiving its due share of water in the River Cauvery which is crucial for paddy cultivation in the Cauvery delta."

The chief minister urged the Prime Minister to design food security for the country and asked to reconsider the ordinance which in its present form must be replaced with a bill which reflects our concerns adequately and urged that the following amendments must be made in the Bill that is proposed to replace the Ordinance in Parliament.

These includes, there must be a foolproof and firm guarantee in the legislation through an appropriate clause in Chapter VIII of the Ordinance: "Obligations of Central Government for Food Security," to ensure continued adequate level of allocation of food grains to states that are already implementing a PDS that delivers a higher level of coverage at the time of the commencement of the new legislation.

This provision should ensure that the present total allocation of food grains to the State under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana, BPL and APL categories is not reduced. The proportion of the urban population eligible under Section 3(2) must be increased from 50 per cent to cover the entire urban population. The supply of food grains by the Central government at the rate presently proposed in Schedule-I should be guaranteed, and not restricted for a period of only three years.

The difference between the state's current allocation of food grains, which is to be guaranteed by the proposed new legal provision, and the entitlement based on eligible families under Section 3(2) as proposed to be amended, should continue to be supplied at the differential price now applicable for APL allotment.

The Chief Minister also said, Section 8, Section 10 and Section 23 should also be amended appropriately.