Par Panel for rice at Rs 3, wheat at Rs 2 to all beneficiaries

At present, below poverty line (BPL) families effectively get 7 kg of wheat and rice at Rs 4.15 and Rs 5.65 per kg per month, respectively, through ration shops.

In the Food Security Bill, the government had proposed to change this by giving 7 kg of rice and wheat to a person at Rs 3 and Rs 2 per kg. Non-BPL families, as per the Bill, were to get 3 kg of foodgrain at half of the minimum support price.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee, headed by Congress leader Vilas Muttemwar, in its report submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, suggested drastic changes in the Bill by seeking that all entitled beneficiaries be provided 5 kg of foodgrains per person a month at uniform prices.

The recommendations of the House Panel are generally not binding on the government. The government may however decide to accept the changes proposed as these suggestions match its own re-thinking on implementation of the ambitious scheme.

When contacted, Food Minister K V Thomas said: "We have not received the report yet. We will examine the suggestions in consultation with the Law Ministry and then go for Cabinet approval". He declined to comment on panel's suggestion.

If accepted, the recommendations will benefit the general population in both price and quantity, while BPL member will get lesser quota than what was proposed in the original Bill.

Speaking to media after presenting the report, Muttemwar said the panel had suggested coverage of 75 per cent of rural population and 50 per cent of urban as proposed in the Bill, which comes to about 67 per cent of the nation's population.

The Bill, a pet project of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, was introduced in December 2011. The report of the panel, which comprises 31 members, had only one dissenting note from CPM member T N Seema.