New Delhi: Two days after the Union Cabinet cleared Sonia Gandhi's flagship food security Bill, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has spoken out against the Bill.
She has written a letter to the Prime Minister accusing the Centre of encroaching into the domain of states and requesting that Tamil Nadu be kept out of the purview of the bill. She has said that popular welfare schemes are best left to the states.
"I would like to register my strong opposition to the Draft National Food Security Bill, 2011. On the contrary, I request the Union Government to not only continue to supply food grains to Tamil Nadu at the existing price and along the same pattern but also to restore the monthly allotment of kerosene," Jayalalithaa wrote in her letter.
"In a federal structure like ours where the States are in close and direct contact with the people, the choice of designing and implementing popular welfare schemes is best left to the States. The Union Government should not attempt or be seen to attempt encroaching into the domains of the States," she said.
"I, therefore, request that Tamil Nadu may be exempted from the purview of the Food Security Bill and my views as expressed above may be taken on record while deciding the matter," she added.
The Union Cabinet on December 18 cleared the Food Security Bill.
The Bill, which had the backing of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, will cover 63.5 per cent of the total population. I will cover 75 per cent of total rural population of which 46 per cent would be priority households. In urban areas of the 50 per cent of total population, 28 would be priority households.
The bill that proposes to make right to food a legal right, will provide subsidised foodgrain and guarantee rice at Rs 3 per kg, wheat at Rs 2 per kg and millet at Rs 1 per kg.
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