Use of technology in sporting events Food Security Bill: Is it a Blessing in Disguise?

Food Security Bill: The bill is meant to provide subsidized food grains to people. The bill seeks to cover 75% of the rural population and 50% of urban population in the country. I nitial estimates suggest that the food subsidy bill could be upwards of Rs. 1 la kh crore. Main provisions: A minimum of 46% of the rural population and 28% urban population will get 7 kg o f food grains per month per person. The results of Socio-Economic and Caste Cens us will be able to put up a better approximation to the coverage. For Priority Group (those below poverty line): 7 kg grain per month per person. R ice at Rs. 3 per kg, wheat at Rs. 2 per kg and coarse grain at Re. 1 a kg. For General Group: 3 kg per person per month at half of minimum support price giv en to farmers. The Planning Commission will lay down the cut-off for beneficiaries in each state to get subsidy from the Centre under the Act to provide the food grains at low rates. The government also plans to introduce the fortified packaged food to children un der the law by stipulating strict guidelines for levels of micronutrients to be contained in meals to be provided to children. The Central government will provide food grains free of cost to all the states, w hile the rest of the costs involved need to be jointly borne by both central and state government with the bulk (up to 70%) to be borne by centre. Issues with the Bill: Availability of food grains: India will annually need 60 million to 61 million to ns of grains to feed people who will be eligible for assistance under the progra m; up from around 55 million tons it needs now for state-run welfare programs. Storage of the food grains: Wastage in the public distribution system (PDS). Financial implications of providing legal entitlement to the poor to subsidized g rains: The direct cash transfer system is not an alternative to tackle corruptio n as it would lead to a collapse of existing mechanism such as minimum support p rice to farmers. The government will also need an investment of 1 to 4 lakh cror e rupees to boost farm output over next few years. Fear of misuse: The estimated total amount needed to implement the law would be a round Rs 3.5 lakh crore, as funds would be needed to raise agriculture productio n, create storage space and publicity and so on. The involvement of finance to t his effect without a regulatory procedure in place could undermine the benefits. Absence of special provisions: There is a dearth of security in case of a Force-M ajeur situation, which is when the requirement the sought majorly. Focus on specific matters through the Bill: Malnutrition: Through programs such as Mid-Day Meal Scheme, provisions like nutri tional guarantee for pregnant women and community kitchens for destitute people, migrants and others, malnutrition could be decreased. The Bill provides for a m aternity benefit of Rs. 1,000 a month for six months. Mismatch: There might be a decrease in the GDP by 0.2% but this will ensure that the demand-supply mismatch or over accumulation could be sorted out. Better development of the common man: There would be a decrease in the disparity between the various sections of the society. This would yield an increase in HDI . Sector contribution: With an increase in the productivity and prices, the agricul tural sector would be able to contribute better to the GDP. This would also lead to an increase in the development of the nation. Methods to make the Bill viable:

Focus on the individual: Instead of providing for the family as a whole at 35 kgs , 7kgs are provided to each individual. With the average family size at 5.3, the grains would be distributed in proportion to the number of members in the famil y and not assume that every family has 5 members by providing 35 kgs. Agricultural productivity: The average holding size in China is half (0.5 ha) of India's, and yet their productivity levels are almost double than India's. For i nstance, China produces almost 200 million tonnes of paddy from 29 million hecta res, while India produces less than 150 million tonnes of paddy from 44 million hectares. Thus a focus on increase of productivity should be emphasized on. Better sourcing: It is known that about 35-40% of fruits and vegetables, and 10% of food grains are wasted. Efficient Supply Chain Management can be put into pla ce thus allowing for decrease in food wastage. Boost supply of superior foods an d modernise food retailing with targeted investment in cold chains, logistics an d business-like growers' co-operatives should be sought. Budget: The upcoming budget should focus on earmarking funds which lead to an imp rovement in the knowledge of the Bill to the proposed audience along with increa se in R&D in agriculture sector. Conclusion: The Bill aims to solve various problems at one go but it also exposes the societ y to various operational and financial risks. These risks have to be fine-tuned in order to provide for a balanced growth through the confines of the Bill.