Food subsidy set to prove costly affair for Modi govt
2 Aug 2014 6:39 AM IST
The bill on food subsidy being prepared by the government is estimated to touch Rs 1,31,086 crore annually. In -reply to question in Parliament, minister of state for food Raosaheb Patil Danve said, ‘Annual food subsidy implication of implementation of National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) in 2014-15 costs is estimated to be around Rs 1,31,086 crore against which Rs 1,10,500 crore has been provided in this year’s budget.’
In addition to this, an amount of Rs 4,500 crore has been allotted for sugar subsidy, he said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.
‘Implementation of law is contingent upon identification of eligible households by states/UTs for receiving subsidised foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). For which a period not exceeding 365 days has been provided in the Act,’ the minister said.
Stating that the identification exercise is yet to be completed in many states/UTs, Danve said they have been asked to complete identification process at the earliest and ensure implementation of the Act within next three months.
In September 2013, Parliament passed Food Security Act that gave legal entitlement to highly subsidised foodgrains to two-thirds of India’s population. The ordinance was, however, issued in July 2013. About 81.35 crore people would get subsidised foodgrains under the law.
In addition to this, an amount of Rs 4,500 crore has been allotted for sugar subsidy, he said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.
‘Implementation of law is contingent upon identification of eligible households by states/UTs for receiving subsidised foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). For which a period not exceeding 365 days has been provided in the Act,’ the minister said.
Stating that the identification exercise is yet to be completed in many states/UTs, Danve said they have been asked to complete identification process at the earliest and ensure implementation of the Act within next three months.
In September 2013, Parliament passed Food Security Act that gave legal entitlement to highly subsidised foodgrains to two-thirds of India’s population. The ordinance was, however, issued in July 2013. About 81.35 crore people would get subsidised foodgrains under the law.
Next Story
