5 things you need to know about Food Security Bill

ORDINANCE AT A GLANCE

THE CONTENT

• Guarantees legal entitlement for cheap food to 67% of population
• To ensure 5 kg of rice, wheat or coarse cereals is supplied at Rs 3 a kg, Rs 2 a kg and Rs 1 a kg, respectively, to all identified beneficiaries

THE COST

•  When implemented fully, it is expected to cost the exchequer Rs 1,24,724 crore, Rs 34,724 crore more than the 2013-14 Budget estimate of food subsidy

WHY AN ORDINANCE?

•  When tabled in the Lok Sabha, the food security Bill could not be passed because of pandemonium during the Budget session
• Highlights the govt’s urgency to bring the programme ahead of the polls, especially because it expects Parliament’s monsoon session to be a troubled one

THE WAY FORWARD

• The ordinance comes into effect as soon as the President gives his go-ahead
• Then, it will need to be passed in both Houses within six weeks of the next Parliament sitting

HURDLES

• Political parties have widely divergent views on the Bill and the route taken to implement it