BJP holds UPA Govt., Congress responsible for non-passage of Food Security Bill

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has held the Congress Party responsible for the non-passage of the Food Security Bill during the budget session of Parliament.

Party spokesman Prakash Javadekar stated this at a news conference here on Friday.

"The Congress is in the habit of blaming the BJP for the non-passage of the Food Security Bill. It is absolutely rubbish. It is the Congress which should take the blame for Food Security Bill not getting the Food Bill passed during the Budget Session. And, we challenge, if they have real compassion for the poor, Congress should emulate the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act, which is the first Act giving food security to the common man," said Javadekar.

Javadekar was referring to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's statement of May 16, wherein he had blamed the BJP for stalling parliament resulting in the non-passage and enactment of the Food Security Bill.

The National Food Security Bill was taken up for consideration on May 6, despite the uproar created by the opposition in the Lok Sabha over allegations of corruption.

Subsidised food distribution is nothing new. Already 400 million people avail of it from over 500,000 fair price shops.

What the Food Security Bill intends is to widen the scope of the present scheme and cover two-thirds of the population with five kilogram of grain per beneficiary at nominal rates.

The Food Security Act of Chhattisgarh was passed by the BJP run state government in December last year and it has claimed it to be the perfect model to provide assured food grains to the commoners, particularly in the rural and isolated interior regions.

Existing food subsidy programmes of the Government in India are plagued by corruption, with only a small proportion of the grains reaching the intended beneficiaries.

Commenting on these trends, Javadekar attacked the Congress Party by saying that they are not at all sincere when they say about removing poverty from the country.

He cited an instance of former Prime Minister and Congress party stalwart Indira Gandhi's close aide who had used the slogan 'Garibi Hatao' (Abolition of Poverty) during the late 70s and early 80s whereas poverty still flourishes in the country.

"Even after thirty years of their 'Garibi Hatao' (Abolish Poverty) slogan, the poor still remain poor. Poverty has actually perpetuated and you are talking of providing food security even thirty years of your slogan, you are not sincere. For the Congress, the poor is just an election slogan. For BJP, it is a commitment," added Javadekar.

The National Food Security Bill, 2011, considered to be the world's largest experiment in ensuring food security to poor, has been a key project of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

It hopes to meet the food needs of 75 percent of rural households and 50 percent of urban households.

The Bill classifies all entitled households as 'general' and 'priority'.

At least 46 percent of rural households and 28 percent of urban households would be designated as "priority".

Every person belonging to a 'priority household' will be provided with seven kilograms of grain per month, comprising rice, wheat and coarse grain. Rice will be provided at Rs.3, wheat at Rs.2 and coarse grain at Rs.1 per kilogram.

Others belonging to the 'general category' would be entitled to not less than three kilogram of grain per month at a rate not exceeding 50 percent of the minimum support price.