Centre plans 'soothing' rejoinder to Modi's letter

The United Progressive Alliance government will soon dispatch a rejoinder to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for pointing out loopholes in the Food Security Bill in a letter he wrote to the prime minister a fortnight ago.

While rejecting Modi’s critique, the Centre is expected to inform him that Gujarat will benefit the most from the scheme.

Modi in his last minute missive to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said that the food security ordinance was brought in haste and without due consultation with states.
The July 7 letter had left the Centre red-faced, with the prime minister’s office (PMO) eager to reply with complete facts and figures, fearing that any shortcoming will be politically blown out of proportion.

Sources said the PMO directed Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Food Minister K V Thomas to prepare the response which would be eventually vetted by them before dispatching it to the chief minister.

The Centre’s reply will flag faults raised by Modi. Modi had criticised the Centre for not holding meetings with the chief ministers. The letter is expected to have an annexure which will say that in all, 10 consultations were held between the Centre and states from June 2009 to February 2013.

Dismissing another contention that Gujarat will get lesser food grain than the current quota once the scheme came into force, the Centre will inform him that Gujarat will get 23.95 lakh-tonnes per annum against the current average annual off take of 13.47 lakh-tonne. Also, the Centre will bear Rs 4,500 crore per annum under the new scheme against the current subsidy amount of Rs 2,100 crore.

The food grain entitlement per households will also go up once the scheme is implemented, the reply is likely to state. At present in Gujarat, BPL beneficiaries are being provided 16 kg of food grain (13 kg wheat and 3 kg rice) at Rs 2 and Rs 3 per kg for wheat and rice respectively, and balance 19 kg ( 16 kg of wheat and 3 kg of rice) is being provided at Rs 7.50 and Rs 7 per kg for wheat and rice respectively.

Under the food security scheme, all the eligible beneficiaries will receive 5 kg of rice per person per month at Rs 2 per kg and Rs 3 per kg for wheat. Anna Antyodaya Yojana (AAY) households will continue to receive 35 kg per month.

The Centre also said the work of identification of households is left to the states.