The newly reconstituted National Advisory Council (NAC) headed by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi held its first meeting on Thursday. The meet came up with the conclusion that the government?s priority will be taking up the draft Bill on food security as its first item for policy intercession in its next working meeting to be held on July 1.
The draft Bill has been ready for sometime and will be put before state food secretaries when they meet in New Delhi on June 14th and 15th.
?This will be the first item on the NAC?s agenda, and the same format as before will be followed, that is, experts will interact with ministries and presentations will be prepared on the NAC?s view on the matter,? said a source. Earlier in the morning, the NAC meet was held for over three hours, with Sonia Gandhi presiding over it and asking for positive intercession on the policy.
?Each member of the NAC, an acknowledged expert in their own field, then spoke about their own areas of interest. All issues related to the social sector, like tribal empowerment, the Right to Education Act, 2010, the proposed communal violence Bill and the food security Bill were discussed,? said a source.
Food security and the communal violence Bill have been flagged as the top two priorities of the NAC this year. ?There were several suggestions on the food security Bill, with academician Jean Dreze and Harsh Mander as well as, MS Swaminathan and NC Saxena putting forward their views. It is not an academic body and the debate on the Bill has already begun in the NAC,? said a member. After the meeting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he ?looked forward to the intercessions made by the NAC in shaping the social-sector policy of the government.?