Food Security Bill Thread

And the best part is, the BJP and rest of the opposition parties will keep entirely mum about this. The public is stupid, and any move that anyone makes against such a bill will be considered "anti-poor" and "elitist". So, BJP and co. will keep shut about this one, even though it is economically unsound. When it comes to things like removal of petrol subsidy however (which are economically sound policies), BJP and co. will make a big song and dance about it, claiming to be 'pro people'.

Ah, the disease of politically motivated hypocrisy - afflicts everyone!

None of the people commenting here know the true meaning of poverty, never experienced it. Economic growth has no meaning if we let thousands of citizens to die from starvation, disease and natural calamities. Governments aren't run like corporates, every decision of the government cannot be judged on the basis of profit and loss.

Right to food and education is a good idea, but it must be properly implemented.

We need to have a proper PDS system and now India is officially bankrupt

As far as Food security bill is concerned, Well, I don't think anyone is opposing that. I am sure, Even BJP and other opposing party might also support it as it might help 50% of the population. But will it be implemented properly ?? That is big problem.

Anyway,

The main Problem is fiscal deficit which already moving towards 9% by FY12. If this bill is passed, Then budget deficit might even move around 10% by FY 2015-2016 too. We can't afford such huge deficit and that is real concern.

Morgan Stanley sees FY12 fiscal deficit at 9% of GDP

Right to Food? Why don't they first ensure that BPLs get the subsidized food they are promised?

In principle, yes. But do we trust the state to deliver this kind of massive package to citizens? Do we not know the kind of leakage, corruption, etc. that we will encounter during this exercise? How much of it will reach the beneficiaries, and what about the identification of BPL families? The issue of migrant workers?

When such massive state-sponsored packages are announced, we should oppose them just on principle.

It will just bankrupt us without any tangible benefit.

The Finance Ministry bureaucrats KNOW very well HOW to SCUTTLE such USELESS and stupid
programs

All that Madam Sonia Gandhi wants is SOMEHOW that inexperienced jerk Rahul Gandhi take
up the PM s JOB as HIS first job in his life

Hey Mom I got appointed as PM of India

Man mohan singh is only an interim PM for Madam Sonia and her sycophant supporters

While they desperately wait for Rahul baba to take up the mantle

They all are desperate to keep the Gandhi family name popular and create an image of the
Gandhis being the ONLY hope of the poor

Hence all such stupid policies

Brother ,

post #1 article is saying the same thing .....

India will be Greece by 2014.

In ancient Rome the Politicians had started the Grain Dole to keep the citizens of Rome well fed at the cost of the exchequer. Slowly it became a part of the system and the citizens of Rome started accepting it as a matter of right. As long as Rome was prosperous there was no problem but as they lost the African provinces and there was problem with Sicilian Grain harvest, the citizens would riot at the delays in the dole. IT became a liability and a few later Roman emperors lost their throne due to the public unrest.

The same will happen in India. The people will get used to the free dole and whenever there is a acute financial mess and poor harvest, the ruling party of the time will not be able to curtail it or abolish it. This will become a permanent part of Govt. budget.

In one stroke MNREGA and the FSB will make beggars out of 63% of the Indian population forever surviving on the Govt. Dole.

Another article on similar lines

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/so...nk-159319.html

On the face of it a well intentioned move. Yet the PDS as it exists has been a leaky boat all its existence. And there is no guarantee at all that the proposed mammoth food security bill will be implemented any better, it will probably provide enough scope for corruption for babus and netas. Crores worth of PDS grains is known to have been smuggled out to Nepal and Bangladesh from Uttar Pradesh. The timing of this bill does seem suspect coming at a time when UPA is facing much bad (deserved) publicity on account of massive scams; similar to the farm loan waiver announced just before 2009 elections. Millions of tons of grains in government run FCI godowns is kept rotting - how about the government taking steps to make the existing PDS system and the FCI storage more efficient ?

So lets do nothing because eventually money will be looted off ?

Voice of reason among greed.

When millions are committing suicide and millions more sleeping on empty stomach then they need to be helped. These are our country men afterall.

But of course corruption is a problem but should be abolish all schemes just because there is corruption. Are people objecting to this because of the bill or because of the corruption that will happen behind it ?

Messiah: it is about giving fish vs. teaching one how to fish.