Food Security ordinance is 'dismaying', says architect of plan

The opposition to the Food Security Ordinance has centred around its financing, but for economist Jean Dreze, who has backed the Food Bill while he was a member of the National Advisory Council, there is a lot wrong with the present form of the Food Security Ordinance that has been cleared by the government. [caption id=“attachment_934255” align=“alignright” width=“380”] Reuters[/caption] In an interview with the Mumbai Mirror, Dreze points out that he has always backed the creation of a Food Bill but says a lot of the concerns he raised about it have been ignored like many other proposals made by members of the National Advisory Council. He points to the absence of a grievance mechanisms whereby people not receiving their due under the law could seek redressal which have been cut out of the present legislation in a move that he says is “being penny wise and pound foolish”. But Dreze is very clear that the Bill needed to be debated before it was passed:

The bill certainly needed to be deliberated, and improved, in Parliament. I am quite dismayed by this ordinance and also very concerned about the possible consequences of excessive haste. A sense of urgency is certainly required, but rushing the implementation of the bill for short-term electoral gain could be counter-productive, and even defeat the whole purpose of the bill.

Read the complete interview here .