After NREGA, Sonia proposes act on national food security

After the rural job guarantee scheme, Congress President Sonia Gandhi is now focussing on the ambitious national food security act proposal, seeking to make it UPA's flagship scheme in its second term.

After the rural job guarantee scheme, Congress President Sonia Gandhi is now focussing on the ambitious national food security act proposal, seeking to make it UPA's flagship scheme in its second term.

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Gandhi, who is also UPA Chairperson, has made a strong pitch for providing 35 kg of cereals at Rs 3 per kg each month to the poor in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

She has asked Singh to fulfil the party's poll promise of enacting such a law and has even provided broad outlines of the proposed legislation in the letter.

Perhaps, this is Gandhi's first letter to the Prime Minister after the UPA headed by her came to power for a second time in a row last month.

Gandhi told Singh that the food security act was one of the most prominent and important commitments made by the party in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said the party President has written to the Prime Minister about the broad parameters regarding the proposed act.

Gandhi had suggested expanding the scope of beneficiaries to include sections like women, handicapped and single parent apart from BPL cardholders, she said.

In the party manifesto, Congress had promised to frame such an act to guarantee access to substantial quantity of food for all, particularly the most vulnerable sections of society.