Cabinet okays some amendments to food law

Approves extension of deadline for implementing the law to one year from six months

The Cabinet today approved some amendments that were made to the Food Security Bill including the extension of deadline for implementing the law to one year from six months.

On August 28, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had approved around nine amendments to the bill without the Cabinet nod.

The Food Ministry had sought ex-post facto approval of the Cabinet for the same amendments since the food law has been passed in Parliament, sources had said.

"Amendments to food bill has been approved by Cabinet," Food Minister K V Thomas said.

Amendments included protection of existing foodgrain allocation to states and extending implementation time of the Act to 365 days from 180 days and among others.

Last month, Parliament passed the food law to give 67 per cent of the population the right to subsidised foodgrains.

Each eligible person would get 5 kg foodgrain per month at Rs 3 per kg of rice, Rs 2 per kg of wheat and Re 1 per kg of coarse cereals under this historic law.