New Delhi:
Five Congress-ruled states, including Delhi and Haryana, have announced plans to roll out the Food Security Bill today to mark the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary.
While Congress president Sonia Gandhi will roll out the food security programme in Delhi this afternoon, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will launch it in Panipat today.
Asked if would be proper to launch the programme before Parliament clears the Food Security Bill, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said there was no "technical issue" as the ordinance on it was in place.
"The ordinance is in place. So there is no legal issue in launching the scheme. I hope the bill will be passed (in Parliament) tomorrow," Ms Dikshit said.
The Chief Minister said that Delhi government will provide benefits under the scheme to 73.5 lakh people in the city out of the total population of 1.68 crore.
Elections are scheduled to be held in the state in November, and Ms Dikshit has already asked all Congress MLAs and councillors to publicise the food bill effectively.
5.10 lakh families are entitled to foodgrain in the first phase which will be given to the beneficiary families through their senior-most female members.
All families which are Below Poverty Line, Above Poverty Line (APL) card holders and Jhughi Ration Card (JRC) holders and beneficiaries under Antodaya Anna Yojna (AAY) will be included in the first phase.
The state government has also decided to include homeless people, daily wage-earners, rag-pickers, people living in resettlement colonies and slum clusters in the first phase of implementation of the scheme.
No income tax payers, vehicle and house owners will be included under the scheme in the first phase, officials said, adding that the second and final phase of implementation of the scheme will be launched in February next year.
The reform aims at providing highly-subsidised food to nearly 70 per cent of India's population at a cost of nearly Rs. 1,25 lakh crore and the Congress is counting on it as a vote-getter as it seeks a third straight victory in national elections, due by May.