The Rs 1.25 lakh crore scheme promises cheap food to nearly 70% of Indian population.
New Delhi:
The United Progressive Alliance's flagship Food Security Bill, introduced last week, is listed for consideration in the Parliament today.
The Rs 1.25 lakh crore welfare scheme to give cheap food to nearly 70 per cent of the population is billed as the centre-piece of the Congress's plan to win a third term in the next year's general elections.
The bill is listed for a scheduled six-hour discussion, following which it is expected to be put to vote. The Congress party has issued a three-line whip to all its Members of Parliament to be present in the Lok Sabha.
The Left Front has moved a resolution opposing the bill, which has been supported by Jayalalithaa's AIADMK. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister earlier called the programme "food insecurity" bill.
Sources say the Congress fears that the AIADMK may want a division - in which votes are counted - and not just a voice vote, which is why it asked its members to be present in the House.
The BJP however has promised full cooperation in passing the legislation.
The UPA's key ally Samajwadi Party has also opposed the Bill, saying it is anti-farmer. The government, which needs the support of the SP's 22 MPs during a vote, says it is confident Mulayam Singh Yadav's party will vote for the bill.
The bill has been criticised for making it a law through an ordinance after it failed to get Parliament to debate and pass it in the last session. Now the ordinance needs to be approved by both Houses or it will lapse.
Meanwhile, experts are skeptic about the bill's impact. T Haque, economist and Director of Council of Social Development, in his research on the weaknesses in the existing Public Distribution System network, has argued how the government needs to address the concern arising from the millions of fake ration cards and leakages in the system.
The Rs 1.25 lakh crore welfare scheme to give cheap food to nearly 70 per cent of the population is billed as the centre-piece of the Congress's plan to win a third term in the next year's general elections.
The bill is listed for a scheduled six-hour discussion, following which it is expected to be put to vote. The Congress party has issued a three-line whip to all its Members of Parliament to be present in the Lok Sabha.
The Left Front has moved a resolution opposing the bill, which has been supported by Jayalalithaa's AIADMK. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister earlier called the programme "food insecurity" bill.
Sources say the Congress fears that the AIADMK may want a division - in which votes are counted - and not just a voice vote, which is why it asked its members to be present in the House.
The BJP however has promised full cooperation in passing the legislation.
The UPA's key ally Samajwadi Party has also opposed the Bill, saying it is anti-farmer. The government, which needs the support of the SP's 22 MPs during a vote, says it is confident Mulayam Singh Yadav's party will vote for the bill.
The bill has been criticised for making it a law through an ordinance after it failed to get Parliament to debate and pass it in the last session. Now the ordinance needs to be approved by both Houses or it will lapse.
Meanwhile, experts are skeptic about the bill's impact. T Haque, economist and Director of Council of Social Development, in his research on the weaknesses in the existing Public Distribution System network, has argued how the government needs to address the concern arising from the millions of fake ration cards and leakages in the system.
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