PM sets up EGoM on food security

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had,in his Budget speech,announced that the work on the Act,providing for 25 Kg of food grains to poor families at Rs 3 a Kg,had begun. Mukherjee had announced that the Government would soon put the draft Food Security Bill on the website of the Department for Food and Public Distribution for debate and consultation.

With states flagging the concerns regarding the identification of beneficiaries as well as the questions over the inclusion of the Above Poverty Line families covered under the Public Distribution System,the EGoM would particularly work on the above questions before giving final shape to the legislation.

The EGoM has also been entrusted with the responsibility of considering issues regarding procurement and management of foodgrains stocks,revision of Central Issue Prices of foodgrains,policies regarding import and export of food grains,and also matters regarding futures/options for wheat in the global commodity exchanges after assessing the demand-supply gap.

Meanwhile,with the deficient monsoon casting a shadow over the agricultural output this kharif season,the Directorate General of Foreign Trade on Monday issued a notification cancelling the wheat export order issued earlier this month. The Government had banned the export of wheat and wheat products in 2007 to boost domestic supply but had allowed the export of up to nine lakh tonnes of wheat through three state-owned firms this month.