Food Security Bill likely to come up for voting again in Lok Sabha today

The Central Government is likely to bring the Food Security Bill in Lok Sabha for voting again today.

The government's efforts to garner wider backing for the bill yesterday got a boost, as the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Janata Dal (United), with a collective strength of 63 members in the Lok Sabha, expressed support for it.

While BSP and JD(U) expressed in-principle support to the bill, SP had said it would back the legislation with some amendments.

Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister K.V. Thomas had introduced the National Food Security Bill in Lok Sabha earlier this month to replace the National Food Security Ordinance, 2013 which was promulgated on July 5.

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.