Food security bill in states soon: Ram Vilas Paswan

Chennai: Union food, public distribution and consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday said most states would have implemented the Food Security Act by July this year.Only 11 states have implemented the law so far. The deadline was extended three times for others. Now, most of the states have given an assurance that they will also give effect to the legislation.

As for Tamil Nadu, Mr Paswan said it had indicated that a universal distribution system was already in place under which consumers got free rice. To ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s  ‘Make in India’ initiative got a fillip, the Bureau of Indian Standards Act and Consumer Protection Act were also being amended, the Minister said. “The bills will be tabled in the next session of Parliament. Standards must be maintained. “

He also described the hue and cry raised over the land acquisition bill as 'political’ and that the NDA government had decided to give jobs not only to farmers but also landless labourers working under them. Further, the legislation  was not compulsory if states decided against implementing it.