The Sonia Gandhi headed National Advisory Council (NAC) has said that the National Food Security Bill (NFSB) will take another one year before being finalised. The contentious issues are those relating to entitlement, procurement, enforcement and identification of the poor.
?There are policy and implementation issues on which we need clarity. There is also the issue of identifying the poor because they need higher subsidy. There is crowding at the poverty line and hence, it might take one year in finalising the bill,? said NAC member Naresh C Saxena.
At its October 23 meeting, the NAC suggested that legal entitlements to subsidised foodgrains should be extended to at least 75% of the population ? 90% in rural areas and 50% in urban areas. Also, priority households?46% in rural areas and 28% in urban areas?should be entitled to 35 kg (equivalent to 7 kg per person) every month at a subsidised price of Rs 1 per kg for millets, Rs 2 for wheat and Rs 3 for rice, with rural coverage adjusted State-wise based on the Planning Commission’s 2004-05 poverty estimates.
Incidentally, on Monday as a first step towards preparation of the draft NFSB, a note was presented by the council at its meeting, based on the earlier recommendations made. After deliberations, the council suggested that the note be supported with more analytical content. The revised note may be placed before the NAC at its next meeting on January 21.
Saxena added that the ministry of rural development is taking time on working out the methodology of the implementation post which pilot surveys will have to be done besides imparting training. The council had also suggested that general households (44% in rural areas and 22% in urban areas) should be entitled to 20 kg (equivalent to 4 kg per person) every month at a price not exceeding 50% of the existing minimum Support Price for millets, wheat and rice.
However, these recommendations were rejected by a government committee led by C Rangarajan, who heads the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. The committee was constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to examine the feasibility of the NAC’s recommendations.