Why National Food Security Bill 2013?

Following a finding by the National Family Health Survey 2005-06 that 22 percent of India's population is undernourished, National Advisory Council (NAC) proposed the National Food Security Bill. Seven facts about Food Security Bill 1. The Bill aims to cover about 67.5 per cent of country's 1.2 billion people, targetting about 180 million poorest people who receive about 4 million tonnes of grain every month through licensed Fair Price Shops. However, it is not clear if the proposed law will subsume the existing quota to avoid overlap. 2. About 70 per cent of country's population live in rural areas, forming the core voter base of political parties. Nearly 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of urban people, will be eligible to receive grains at cheaper rates. 3. However, the beneficiaries are divided into two categories, i.e., General and Priority households with the latter recognised as the more vulnerable group but yardsticks for this have not been decided yet. The bill identifies 46 per cent of the rural beneficiaries and 28 per cent of urban beneficiaries as Priority households. About 40 per cent of country's population live below $1.25 a day. 4. The bill will guarantee at least 25 kilograms of subsidised food grains every month to a family of 5 persons. The opposition argues that many states already guarantee 35 kilogram of food grains for Below the Poverty Line (BPL) families. 5. The Priority Group will get rice at a fixed Rs 3 per kg, wheat at Rs 2 per kg and coarse grain at Rs 1 per kg. The General category, both in rural and urban areas, will get grains at half of the price the Government sets for payment to farmers. 6. The annual requirement for rice and wheat under the Act will be at least 45.6 million tonnes, calculated on a monthly outlay of 3.8 million tonnes. 7. Inflation has stayed stubbornly high over the past year despite overflowing granaries, showing that country staple crops, such as rice and wheat are not to blame for high food prices.