BackUPA weighs options on food security Bill
Passing an ordinance, convening a special session of Parliament or implementing provisions are the options
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New Delhi: After failing to get its marquee legislation, the food security Bill, passed in the budget session of Parliament, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is considering options to implement the scheme, seen as a prospective vote winner for the ruling party in upcoming state polls and next year’s general election.
The government has the options of passing an ordinance, convening a special session of Parliament or implementing provisions of the food security Bill in certain parts of the country through an executive order, said a top official in the food ministry.
“The government has these three options before it as of now," said the official who didn’t want to be identified.
The legislation seeks to provide 5kg of foodgrain per person per month to 67% of the population at ₹ 1 to ₹ 3 per kg.
Union minister K.V. Thomas moved the food security Bill for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha on 6 May. Parliament adjourned on Wednesday, two days ahead of scheduled, amid a logjam over suspected government interference in the probe of irregularities in coal block allocations and an alleged case of corruption involving a nephew of railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal.
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