By IANS,
New Delhi : Activists Tuesday protested the National Food Security Bill, which seeks to provide legal entitlement of food grain to 63 percent of the country’s population, saying it was based on a “narrow vision”.
The activists, gathered at Jantar Mantar here, demanded the bill be made “universal” for all sectors of society. The bill was introduced in parliament last year and is under consideration of a parliamentary standing committee.
The activists are holding a three-day protest, which began Monday, to demand amendments to the bill.
“We are seeking to build a pressure on parliamentarians as the monsoon session is on, therefore we have gathered here,” an activist told IANS.
“The bill is based on narrow vision of what is required to ensure food security; it is restricted largely to grain handouts under the public distribution system (PDS),” said Annie Raja, general secretary of National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW).
“Small households, including ‘poorest of the poor’ households, stand to lose from the NFSB because of the imposed switch to per capita entitlements,” she said.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Parkash Javadekar, who attended the protest, assured the activists his party will raise the issue in parliament. Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist member Kavita Krishnan termed the central government’s policy as “anti-poor”.