Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking five amendments to the Food Security Ordinance (
Read).
Labelling it a Food 'Insecurity' Ordinance, the Chief Minister said that the bill should be passed only after consultations with the states.
She also demanded that the proportion of urban population eligible under the programme be increased from 50 per cent to cover the "entire urban population" and "continued adequate level of allocation of food grains to states that are already implementing a Public Distribution System".
She 'strongly' urged Mr Singh to ensure that the concerns of Tamil Nadu are addressed through the inclusion of appropriate amendments in the Bill that the Government of India intends to place before Parliament to replace the Food Security Ordinance.
"The Government of India is duty bound to protect the food security of States like Tamil Nadu. Respecting federal and democratic principles, any such Bill should be passed only after a detailed consultation with the States on the whole gamut of issues and after addressing specific concerns of different States and after adequate discussion in Parliament," she wrote.
The Congress will roll out its flagship programme in the states it governs from August 20, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The ordinance is already in trouble with the main opposition, BJP, also seeking changes and accusing the government of trying to bypass a debate in Parliament by bringing in an ordinance.
The push for the ordinance was reportedly based on suggestions from the Election Commission that state elections will be announced by September 22. That means the model code of conduct will kick in, which prohibits the government from announcing any big policy that could impact voting.
The Rs. 1.25 lakh crore welfare scheme aims to give cheap food to nearly 70 per cent of the population, and has been planned as a centre-piece of the ruling Congress party's plan to win a third term in power. The ambitious scheme, championed by Mrs Gandhi, will raise the annual food subsidy spending by 45 per cent.
Under the scheme, rice will be available at Rs. 3 a kilogram, and wheat at Rs. 2 a kilogram. The monthly supply ranges from three to seven kilograms per person, depending on their level of income.
The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme and the Food Security Act are being considered as major moves by Congress ahead of 2014 like the farmers' loan waiver scheme and MNREGA announced during its previous term. Both were credited among other things for the return of UPA to power in 2009.