BJP reluctant to give credit to Congress for moving Food Security Bill

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is reluctant to give credit to the Congress Party for moving the Food Security Bill in the Parliament.

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said here today that though the Food Security Bill is passed in Lok Sabha, the " Congress needs to recognize and realise that in the past 60 years if India has suffered from malnutrition and hunger; the Congress Party is responsible for it because they have ruled the country for so long."

He further said that the BJP would try to expose corruption and also question Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh about the missing files in the coal allocation scam.

On Monday, the Lok Sabha passed the much-debated Food Security Bill in Parliament.

Before the Food Security Bill was passed, Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi highlighted its potential , saying that the House had an opportunity to clear a welfare scheme that would provide subsidized food to nearly 70 percent of the people in India.

"We have a chance to create history with this Bill. So, my humble appeal is that we, as representatives of people, must make this Bill into an Act," she told members of the Lok Sabha.

Stating that a clear message is being sent out today that India is taking care of providing food to all of its citizens, Gandhi said: "We are ensuring that no child will be malnourished. It's an opportunity that we are providing food security to all. It will also ensure a stop to food grain wastage."

The National Food Security Bill is a historic initiative for ensuring food and nutritional security to the people. It gives a right to the people to receive adequate quantity of foodgrains at affordable prices.

The Bill has a special focus on nutritional support to the poorest of the poor , women and children.

In case of non-supply of foodgrains, the deprived will get a food security allowance. The Bill also provides for grievance redressal mechanism and penalty for non -compliance by a public servant or authority. Under the plan, the government will sell subsidised wheat and rice to 67 percent of its 1.2 billion population.