'Revamp PDS to rollout Food Security programme'

Only with effective PDS will populist measures like FSB deliver the desired results, says President of PHD Chamber Suman Jyoti Khaitan

The Government's ambitious Food Security programme targeted towards the country's poor will not yield desired outcomes unless the public distribution system (PDS) is revamped, PHD Chamber of Commerce today said.

"The bill will be beneficial provided all state governments revamp the public distribution system as per aspirations of the poor people... Only with effective PDS will populist measures like food security bill deliver the desired results," President of PHD Chamber Suman Jyoti Khaitan said.

Ushering in the biggest programme in the world to fight hunger, Parliament yesterday gave its nod to the landmark Food Security Bill which seeks to provide highly subsidised foodgrains to the country's two-third population as a right.

The ambitious bill, seen as a game-changer by the government and expected to benefit 82 crore people in the country, cleared the Parliamentary process after much delay and uncertainty. It now needs just one more step - Presidential assent - to become a historic law.

Welcoming the passage of the Food Security Bill by both Houses of Parliament, Khaitan hoped it will serve the intended purpose and yield desired results for the poorest of the poor.