Food Security Bill to provide Minimum Support Price benefit to more Farmers
Food Security to benefit 7.17 crore people in Maharashtra.
In the wake of the increased requirement of food grains to implement the proposed Food Security Act, procurement operations will be expanded benefitting larger number of farmers. Food grain requirement for the implementation of the bill is estimated to be 614.3 lakh tonnes as against the existing requirement of 563.7 lakh tonnes for the Targeted Public Distribution System. Farmers will get more for their produce i.e. Rs.12.85 per kg for wheat and Rs.12.50 per kg for paddy as minimum support price (MSP).
Two-thirds of the population will become legally entitled to receive highly subsidized food grains after the enactment of the Food Security Bill. Each entitled person will receive 5 kg of food grains per month i.e. rice, wheat or coarse grains at Rs.3, Rs.2 and Re. 1 per kg respectively. The poorest of the poor will continue to get 35 kg food grains per household per month under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana.
The bill has special focus on nutritional needs of women and children. The eldest woman of the household above 18 years is considered the head of the household for the purpose of issue of ration cards as per provisions of the Bill. Pregnant women and lactating mothers will get maternity benefit of Rs. 6000 besides nutritious food. Children below 14 years of age will get food with higher nutritional norms.
Access to highly subsidized food grains to small farmers under proposed Food Security Act and assured MSP for their produce will ease the burden on their earnings and allow them the option to spend the money so saved on other necessities. Hence it is expected to help improve their quality of life. Therefore, contrary to dissuading farmers from producing more, the Act will in fact encourage them to produce more.
Maharashtra gears up to implement Food Security from December
Maharashtra Government has decided to implement the Food Security Bill from December 1, 2013. Maharashtra will require 3.88 lakh tonnes of food grains per month from the Central quota to implement provision subsidized food grains to its citizens. 75% of the existing beneficiaries in rural areas and 54% in urban areas would benefit from the scheme. A total of 7.17 crore people will be eligible for subsidized food grains in Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Government in collaboration with the Food Corporation of India has begun to strengthen the food grain storage system, by constructing godowns at an estimated cost of Rs 2,000 crores.
PIB Del /NCJ /PIB Mum/MD