ISAS Insights

The much - debated National Food Security Bill, 2013, was passed by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha – the Lower and Upper Houses of the Indian Parliament – on 26 August 2013 and 2 September 2013 respectively. The Bill is the latest legislation in a series of measures (e.g. Right to Information (RTI) Act, Forest Rights Act, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)) aiming to establish rights - based economic governance in India for achieving inclusive growth. The objective of the Bill is to legally entitle 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of the urban population to a minimum supply of foodgrains at subsidised prices. With around 800 million people expected to receive subsidised food, the programme is arguably one of t he largest targeted food security schemes in the world