Food bill gets presidential assent

NEW DELHI: The landmark Food Security Bill, aimed at giving a legal right on highly subsidised foodgrains to 67 per cent of the country's population, today received the President's nod.

"We have received the Presidential assent to the Food Security bill," Food Minister K V Thomas told PTI.

The law will soon be notified in the Government gazette, after which it will come into effect, he added.

The Centre has convened a meeting of state food ministers and secretaries to discuss the rules and regulations for implementing the scheme, which is being touted as a game changer by the ruling government.

The two-day meeting is scheduled from October 3, Thomas said.

The Lok Sabha had passed the bill on August 26, while the Rajya Sabha gave its nod on September 2.

The food security law, which has been described by the ruling Congress as a "game changer" and slammed by the Opposition as a "gimmick" before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, guarantees 5 kg of rice, wheat and coarse cereals per month per person at Rs 3, Rs 2 and Re 1 respectively.

India will now join the select league of nations that guarantee foodgrain to a majority of their population.

At Rs 1,30,000 crore government support, the food security programme will be the largest in the world. It will require 62 million tonne of foodgrains.