The Union Cabinet on Tuesday cleared revised Food Security Bill which seeks to protect 2.43 crore poorest of poor families under the Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) by continuing supply of 35 kg foodgrains per month per family.
The amendments in the Bill have been suggested after taking into account the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee.
In the original Bill, introduced in December 2011 in the Lok Sabha, the government had proposed giving 7 kg of wheat (Rs 2/kg) and rice (Rs 3/kg) per month per person to ‘priority households’. At least 3kg of grain at half of the government fixed support price was proposed for the ‘general’ households.
According to sources, more than 55 amendments have been proposed to the Bill.
The major changes include doing away with priority and general classifications of beneficiaries and providing uniform allocation of 5 kg foodgrains (per person) at fixed rates to 67-70 percent of the country’s population.
With PTI Inputs