Food Security Bill – with ‘Spirit’ or just with ‘Letter’ ?

Well, our Government, having so much love and care in heart for financially poor people, is going to roll out ‘Food Security Bill’ soon. It makes me feel proud being a citizen of a country where Government is so concerned with a poor’s basic needs. And this would probably make you proud too. After all, spending an estimated Rs 125,000 crore annually on supply of about 62 million tonnes of rice, wheat, coarse cereals and making this food security programme (when implemented) a biggest programme in the world, is actually a huge initiative.

Although a serious step to provide two-third population, approximately 82 crore people, with foodgrains at the highly subsidized rates i.e. Rs. 2-3 per kg every month, deserves respect and applauds from all of us. But is there really a true spirit behind this scheme? As presented in this data, the scheme would impress any living creature. But is there really something going to be done, more than just presenting these impressive data’s? Few more questions like these keep popping in mind and needs satisfactory answers.

If a true intention is really backing this scheme, couldn’t it be launched earlier? Now the Government is so eager and wants to roll it out just within few days, but the bill was framed since 2011. Why it was laying idle till then? What it means to launch this scheme just before the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections? Is here only me who thinks it’s a Vote Bank Strategy? Were they waiting for Lok Sabha Elections to play their ‘Ace' of Spades?

Okay, leave the Intention. A Government which is experiencing power since 2004, must be having the ability enough to drive economy properly and would easily handle this scheme, Right? But if this is the same Government, who raised the petrol prices from 40s to 75s, who wasn’t able give subsidies on LPG and diesel either, how would be able enough to manage funds for this extravagant scheme? A Government, who gave new heights to the Dollar and couldn’t control the Gold Prices, would be able enough to control economy after this scheme?

Well, leave this logic also. The news is an official Meeting to discuss the strategy to roll out the scheme took place on 13^th July, where along with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Congress leaders and Chief Ministers of 14 Congress-ruled states were invited. Anyone noticed why not the CMs of Non Congress-ruled states were invited? Don’t these states have starving people? When the Section 1 of Food Security Bill covers the whole India under its extent, why not the CMs from all the states of India were invited for planning? Does this meeting give a hint that the people of Congress-ruled states only would get the benefits?

And at the end, why couldn’t they think of increasing earning sources of poor people, instead of subsidizing their foods. Shouldn’t there be a scheme to properly utilize their inner potentials and make them able to earn higher, instead of just pretending mercy at the time of elections and giving subsidized foods? Shouldn’t the focus be shifted from the ‘Letter’ to the ‘Spirit’?