Dikshit discusses Food Security Bill with top officials

New Delhi, Jan 31: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday discussed with top officials measures which will be required to be taken to implement provisions of the Food Security Bill once it becomes a law.

The meeting was attended by Social Welfare Minister Kiran Walia, Chief Secretary P K Tripathi and National Advisory Committee member Harsh Mander among others. The Delhi government, which had earlier opposed certain provisions of the draft National Food Security Bill, had welcomed it after it was cleared by Union Cabinet last month.

The landmark Bill, which gives legal right to cheaper foodgrains to 63.5% of the country's population, was introduced in the Lok Sabha last month. Earlier in a letter to Union Food Minister K V Thomas, the Delhi government had said the proposed provision in Bill universalising food grain entitlements to majority of population would be very "difficult to implement".

The city government had said corruption was rampant in the current public distribution system and desired results would not be achieved if no structural changes were made in distribution mechanism.

In the meeting today, sources said Mander offered a number of suggestion in raising resources by the city government to implement the proposed legislation. In the meeting, Dikshit reviewed implementation of some other welfare schemes as well.

PTI