Food Bill Can Inspire Many Countries, Says UN Official

Asked if food inflation would escalate with the procurement of grains by the government, he said, “The debate that the food law will have a huge cost must be put in the right perspective. The law has a fiscal cost and it also has a cost for consumers because taxpayers are financing this programme.”

To implement the law, the government will spend Rs 1, 25,000 crore every year to supply 62 million tonnes of rice, wheat and coarse cereals.

“But the cost of not treating the hunger is immense and completely underestimated. There is no better investment for the country than to invest in its children,” he noted.

The food programme will be implemented through the public distribution system (PDS). The biggest challenge is fixing pilferage in the PDS in states where poverty is more, according to Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP) Chairman Ashok Gulati.

“The PDS leakage although has reduced significantly but it is still a concern,” De Schutter said. “Certainly, they need to pay attention.”

De Schutter noted that Chapter 9 of the food security bill has provisions for a grievance redressal mechanism.

“I am particularly interested in how the redressal grievance commission will function and how people should be informed about the new law,” he added.

Schutter is preparing a report on world food security and is in India to study the country’s food law.

Also Read: Food Bill: An Indirect Ticket To the Ruling Party for a Third Term?