In a grand step to the implementation of India’s much-talked-about food security bill, Congress president Sonia Gandhi launched the scheme in Delhi on Tuesday, Times of India has reported.
The food security scheme in India is "unparalleled" in the world and aims to feed every poor person in the country, TOI website quoted her as saying. According to TOI, Delhi was the first Indian territory to clear the scheme. “We have people who still don't get food and there are children who are malnourished. We decided to bring this scheme so that every poor gets food and no child sleeps without food," Gandhi said at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. At the ceremony, she gave away food security ration cards and a 5kg packet of rice to beneficiaries. Under the scheme, a total of 7.35mpeople will get foodgrain at highly subsidised rates. “The guarantee of food provided by food security scheme on such a large scale is unparalleled in the world,” she said. The launch of the most expensive food scheme in the world has been deemed to be a game-changer for the Congress ahead of Indian general elections in 2014.
Gandhi praised Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit for her efforts for implementing the scheme. The bill has faced immense criticism from opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who has termed it a “cruel joke,” saying although the party does not oppose the bill, it would like some amendments in it.
