Centre extends food law deadline

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday extended the deadline to roll out the National Food Security Act by another three months. After Parliament passed the law, states were given time till July 5 to roll out the scheme.

The decision came on the back of 25 states and Union territories failing to roll out the food law, that had come into effect on July 5, 2013, with the states given one year to implement it. The decision to extend the deadline was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday to discuss issues related to inflation and the monsoon.

“The food security law came into force on July 5, 2013. As per the law, states were to implement the law within 365 days (by July 4, 2014). But 25 states and Union territories have not implemented the food law so far. So we have decided to extend the deadline by three more months,” said Union food and civil supplies minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

The critical aspect of the law to identify beneficiaries in states who will be eligible for the subsidised foodgrains is yet to be completed. The Socio-Caste and Economic Census, which would have given data based on exclusion and inclusion criteria, is far from being completed, as states are yet to complete the exercise of rectifying the errors in the enumeration process.
Mr Paswan clarified that no ordinance needs to be issued on extension of the deadline, that can be done through an executive order.

The NFS Act seeks to cover 75 per cent of the population in rural areas and 50 per cent in urban areas for 5 kg of rice and wheat at Rs 3 and Rs 2 per kg respectively per person per month.