India is home to over 1.2
billion people, and close to 40 percent of the population lives below the
poverty line. It is more shocking to note that 68.7 percent of the population
lives on less than Rs 108 (US $2) per day. To eradicate poverty in India and to
uplift the status of the poor and the underprivileged, the government came up
with the Food Security Bill.
Although the aim of the
Food Security Bill is to improve the welfare of the citizens, it has been met
with a number of criticisms over the past few months. This is because India is
facing many challenges, including high rate of inflation, slow economic growth,
high unemployment rate and fiscal deficit.
Sadly, the government has
not been able to solve the existing problems. And on top of that, it has added
the Food Security Bill to its long list of government initiatives. Although
many individuals are unaware as to how India will come up with sufficient funds
to solve economic, political and social problems that exist today, people are
hopeful that the Food Security Bill will help the poor citizens of India.
Through the Food Security
Bill, the government will be providing food grains at extremely low prices to
67 percent of the population in both urban and rural areas.
In fact, the Food Security
Bill promises to sell wheat at Rs 2 per kilogram, rice at Rs 3 per kilogram and
other food grains at Rs 1 per kilogram. Every month, a family will be entitled
to 35 kg of food grains at the aforementioned rates.
The government has sought
the help of the Helping Hand Youth Welfare Association for the distribution of
food grains among low-income families.
According to government
officials, close to 62 million tonnes of food grains will be distributed to the
poor. This will definitely help the poor Indian citizens, who are living hand
to mouth and finding it difficult to make ends meet amidst the rising
inflation.
Currently, the market
prices for one kilogram of rice and wheat stand at Rs 20 and Rs 16
respectively. So, the government is doing its citizens a huge favour by
distributing food at extremely low prices.
Initially, as per the Food
Security Bill, every family living below the poverty line was only entitled to
5 kg of food grains per month. This has been increased to 35 kg as per the
latest amendment. If implemented successfully, the Food Security Bill will be
able to change the face of India forever.
In addition, the Food
Security Bill will be a game changer for the upcoming elections if majority of
the population benefits from the government programme.
Famine is a common problem
in the Indian subcontinent. There is a widespread scarcity of food in the
country because of crop failure, unfavourable weather conditions, and population
imbalance. With the implementation of the Food Security Bill, India will
witness a significant reduction in mortality rates. A report published in Media
stated that 50 percent of deaths among children are attributed to malnutrition.
The Food Security Bill is indeed a ray of hope for millions of people in India.
The Indian government has
been able to come up with great policies to eradicate poverty. However, the
test lies in implementing these policies successfully. If the Indian government
is able to implement the Food Security Bill successfully amidst the rising
inflation and low economic growth, India will definitely become a role model
for all developing countries in the world. In addition, the Food Security Bill
will be able to restore the confidence of the Indian citizens in its
government.
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