Govt working out details of National Food Security Act: Pawar

The government today said that it is working out details of eligible Below Poverty Line families, methodology for their identification and issuance of identification cards, as part of the proposed National Food Security Act.

"Under the proposed law, every BPL family will be entitled to receive 25 kg of foodgrains per month. In order to frame the law, the government has initiated necessary action," Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

This was one of the poll promises made by Congress before the general elections this year.

Examination of different aspects of the proposed law in consultation with state governments, various central ministries, experts and other stake holders is presently in progress, the minister said.

Replying to another question, Pawar assured the House that the present stock of foodgrains available in the central pool is sufficient to meet the demand of foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).

The stocks of foodgrains (wheat and rice) in the central pool, as on June 1, 2009 were 204.03 lakh tons of rice and 331.22 lakh tons of wheat.

The estimated annual requirement of foodgrains is about 446 lakh tons under TPDS and about 50 lakh tons under other welfare schemes, Pawar added.