FOOD SECURITY BILL
1
FOOD SECURITY BILL FOREWORD
For the many poor people in the country, getting food grains at cheap prices that they can afford will now no longer be a problem. The Government of India is planning to bring out the Food Security Bill which will provide food grains at the prices that they can pay. With this bill over 80 crore people in our country will benefit, which means more than 75% of the people in the rural areas and 50% in the urban will now get food grains at such cheap rates. What is important is that the poor people will now get food grains a matter of right. An important aim of this Bill is to reduce the malnutrition among many poor people, especially the pregnant and feeding mothers and small children up to the age of 6 years of age. Through the Anganwadis and many other schemes of the Government of India, they will now have adequate quantity of food. This also covers the mid day meal programme where children in the age group of 6-14 years get free hot meals every day in their schools.
2
The National Food Security Bill has generated lot of excitement both in the villages and the towns especially about the fact that both rural and urban poor may soon get foodgrains at very cheap rates. People in village Sitapur had many questions about the Bill. So a meeting was organized on the Bill where people from the village and nearby towns had gathered. Arun Kumar who worked with a Government office in the District headquarters volunteered to inform the gathering about the new landmark bill. Devdutt: Arun Bhaiya, we have heard that food grains will now be provided at
very cheap rates to a majority of people in the country. Is this the only reason the Central Government plans to bring the National Food Security Bill or are there other reasons too? Arun: Many people in the country cannot get enough food as they are poor. As a result they are malnourished due to which they become sick. The Food Security Bill will provide...