'Sonia deserves credit for passage of Food Security bill'

Describing the Food Security Act as a milestone, Union minister Oscar Fernandes today said it was the brainchild of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi who deserved all the credit for the passage of the legislation in both Houses of Parliament.
Fernandes was addressing a daylong workshop on the Food Security Act here today.
Praising the UPA Chairperson he said,"She deserves all the credit for the passage of the milestone legislation. Her steadfast pursuit of it despite her illness saw its passage in Parliament. It will change the lives of 82 crore people all over the country."
Expressing solidarity with the disaster-hit people of Uttarakhand, Fernandes said the Centre stood entirely with the people of the state in this hour of crisis.

"Addressing the woes of the flood-hit people of the state is one of the priorities of the UPA at the moment," he said.
Echoing Fernandes, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna described the Food Security Act as a historic move and expressed happiness over the fact that Uttarakhand was the first state to implement it.
Presided over by PCC chief Yashpal Arya, the workshop organised by the state unit of the Congress was attended by over a thousand party workers at the Venkateshwar hall, PCC spokesman Dhirendra Pratap said.