President Pranab Mukherjee today signed Food Security Ordinance, paving way for implementation of the controversial Food Security Bill. Ordinance will give nation's two-third population the right to 5 kgs of foodgrain every month at highly subsidised rates of Rs 1-3 per kg. At Rs 125,000 crore of government support, the food security programme will be the largest in the world.
"India is producing 214 million tonnes of food grain and what we need is 62 and we procure 30%. Last season we procured 82 million tonnes and as I speak now, storage is going to be 73-74 million, so we have enough food grains with us," Food minister K V Thomas said.
About 2.43 crore poorest of the poor families covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) scheme under PDS (Public Distribution System) would continue to get 35 kg of foodgrains per family per month but with legal entitlement.
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