NFIW opposes ordinance route for food bill

National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) today opposed any move by the UPA Government to issue an ordinance to give effect to the Food Security Bill, saying the shortcomings of the present legislation could be removed only through a debate in Parliament.
Terming the present bill as "highly inadequate", NFIW General Secretary Annie Raja said the Bill which is before Parliament was "highly inadequate and cannot ensure the desired result."
Demanding a comprehensive and universal food security Act, the NFIW leader said the bill should be "thoroughly debated and amended in Parliament."
Maintaining that some of its provisions were "extremely dangerous", she gave the example of the definition of food in the legislation as ready to eat or 'packed food' and said that such a definition "gives the opportunity to corporates to enter into our food sector."

"The Public Distribution System reforms that the bill talks about will bring food insecurity in this country," she said, adding that the measure also had no provision to ensure food availability by reviving the agriculture sector.
"Moreover, it does not even talk about safe drinking water or clean evironment which are integral part of a meaningful food security," Raja said.
She said the UPA-II government was trying to gain "political mileage rather than addressing serious issues like the terrible prevalence of hunger and malnutrition in the country.
"In the name of 'food security' the UPA-II is snatching away the existing food entitlements of the people and does not match with the accepted ICMR norms," she said.