Discussions will take place on Food Security Bill, assures K.V. Thomas

Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister K.V. Thomas on Monday assured that discussions on the Food Security Bill will take place in the Parliament, even though some damage has been caused by heavy rains in some areas of the country.

"Some arrangements have been already made. ...We will have one more discussion (on the Food Security Bill) because due to some heavy rains in some planes there have been damages. But we had an earlier experience, that experience was, when the price went up, we banned the export, we imported from Pakistan," Thomas said while talking to the media here.

Array

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gopinath Munde said that his party had proposed certain changes in the Bill.

"We are in favour of the Food Security Bill. Earlier, we had declared it during a meeting that we are not opposing the Food security Bill. We are ready to pass this Bill and we have put forward amendments from our side as well. We have no contribution to not pass the Bill," Munde said.

On August 7, while tabling the Food Security Bill K.V. Thomas had allayed the Opposition's apprehensions that the scheme would infringe upon the rights of the states and had called for thorough discussions on its provisions.

Under the Food Security scheme, the Government will sell wheat and rice at a subsidized rate to 67 percent of the country's 1.2 billion people.

The National Food Security Bill is a historic initiative for ensuring food and nutritional security to the people. It gives right to the people to receive adequate quantity of foodgrains at affordable prices. The Bill has special focus on nutritional support to poorest of the poor, women and children.

In case of non-supply of foodgrains now people will get Food Security Allowance. The Bill provides for grievance redressal mechanism and penalty for non-compliance by public servant or authority.