Need to boost production to achieve food security: Pranab
The finance minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, on Saturday said that the government will enact a legislation to provide subsidised wheat and rice to poor, but to make it a success there is a need to boost production and strengthen delivery system.
"We are committed to ensure Food Security Act and to make successful, we need to produce more, procure more and strengthen delivery mechanism for making accessible and affordable," Mr Mukherjee said while addressing a conference on extending green revolution to eastern region of the country.
The UPA government has promised to enact a National Food Security Act, under which it promises to provide 25 kg of foodgrains every month at Rs 3 per kg to families below poverty line.
The National Advisory Council, headed by UPA Chairperson, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, is looking into the various aspects of the draft food security bill and will advise the government. The issues under discussion include raising the number of beneficiaries as well as the quantity.
Mr Mukherjee said there would be no dearth of funds for agriculture sector especially from the strategic initiatives for food security of the country.
The finance minister recognised that Rs 400 crore allocated for extending green revolution in six eastern states was "not adequate".
Mr Mukherjee emphasised the need to ensure benefit of the scheme (Green revolution) reaches in time to reap maximum benefit before the Kharif season.
While presenting the Budget 2010, Mr Mukherjee had announced a proposal for providing Rs 400 crore under the 'Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana' for extending green revolution to the Eastern Region of the country comprising Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal.
Green revolution envisages adoption of new seed varieties, farm machines, nutrients, pesticides and knowledge based intervention as developed for different agro climatic zones to achieve the objective to increase the productivity and production.
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