Maharashtra misses food law deadline

Hopes to introduce on January 26 before the announcement of election code of conduct

The Maharashtra government has missed the December deadline to launch the Centre’s flagship Food Security Scheme (FSS) in the state.

The delay has been attributed to the inability of the ruling Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to fix a mutually acceptable date for the launch. Besides, the government is currently trying hard to tackle the controversy over the Adarsh scam report and emerging threat posed by the Aam Aadmi Party.

NCP leader Anil Deshmukh, minister for food and civil supplies, at a party meeting on Sunday here announced that FSS would now be launched on Republic Day. Deshmukh's announcement was endorsed by NCP supremo and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. The revised deadline will not clash with the model code of conduct for the coming general elections.

However, the chief minister's office is yet to confirm the date.

Deshmukh told Business Standard: ''My department is fully equipped to implement FSS. The department will do everything to make its implementation with full transparency.''

The state government has decided not to reduce the number of existing ration card holders so that the quota fixed by the Centre is applicable. The government will provide foodgrains at its own cost to ration card holders who fall outside the quota. The Centre has agreed to provide ration cards to seven crore beneficiaries, who are entitled for wheat at Rs two a kg and rice at Rs three a kg, in Maharashtra under the Act.

The state has 8.77 crore people eligible for ration under the public distribution scheme. The government has decided to provide foodgrains to 1.77 crore people above poverty line (APL). An APL card holder will get wheat at Rs 7.20 a kg and rice at Rs 9.60 a kg.