How National Food Security Act was framed?

National Food Security Act was first proposed in 2010 by the National Advisory Council (NAC), an extra constitutional body in the times of UPA government, headed by Sonia Gandhi. In summary, the proposal was to provide food security to 75% of India’s total population by means of an act of parliament. This 75% population was made of 90% rural and 50% urban population. The 75% beneficiaries were further divided into two groups viz. Priority Group and General Group. Priority group was BPL and General Group was APL. The proposed act provided that the Priority Group household would get 35Kg of food grain per month at Rs. 1/kg for millets, Rs. 2 /Kg for wheat and Rs. 3/Kg of Rice. On the other hand, the General Group household would get 20Kg of food grains per month at 50% of the Minimum Support Prices.

The proposals were criticised because they rendered 25% people ineligible for food security and created three fractions of Indian population: One- who were secure (25%) as per NAC, two-the priority group and three- the general group. Further, covering 75% of the population would put a huge burden on Government exchequer.

A draft bill was prepared and was scrutinized by C Rangarajan committee. This committee suggested that at current (2011) levels of foodgrains production; it was virtually not possible to cover both BPL as well as APL population. So, it recommended only BPL to be covered in the act for legal entitlement of the subsidized foodgrains. The committee put forward that the subsidy bill to implement this act would be in the tune of Rs. 83,000 Crore if every household eligible lifts all for that it is entitled to.

With some changes into composition of the priority and general group, the cabinet approved the bill and was introduced for the first time in December 2011. This new bill came with several types of beneficiaries such as priority group; general group; destitute; homeless and so on. Obviously the bill would make identification of the beneficiaries’ headache for the states. When the bill went to standing committee of the parliament, the committee rejected idea of several categories of the beneficiaries and recommended one uniform category; which includes the beneficiaries. Rest all would get 5Kg of subsidized foodgrains. Several other issues such as allocation of foodgrains to states; reforms in TPDS; Cash Transfers etc. were remained unaddressed.

The bill was finally revised as National Food Security Bill 2013 which, once becomes an act would give legal entitlement to 67% population under TPDS. Each beneficiary will be entitled to 5 kg of rice, wheat or coarse cereals at Rs. 3, 2 and Re. 1 a kg a month and will be identified by the States based on parameters prescribed by the Union government. At the same time, the 2.43 crore Antyodaya Anna Yojna beneficiary households will continue to get their quota of 35 kg grains a month under the TPDS.

Since election was not far away, the UPA government brought National Food Security Ordinance in 2013. On September 10, 2013, the National Food Security Act got president’s assent and become an act. [currentuser_id]

Ordinance

An ordinance is an executive order to pass laws when Parliament is not in session. It remains effective for six months from the date of passage within which period it must be replaced with a permanent law that needs to be passed by both houses of Parliament.