State in a fix over new food programme

Updated On: 06 October, 2013 08:54 AM IST | | Ravikiran Deshmukh

With nearly half the population of Maharashtra living in urban areas, the state government finds itself in a corner over the new food programme where the Centre has mandated that over 75 per cent of the subsidised food grains be given to the rural poor

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In the midst of politics of one-upmanship between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the state government has a difficult task ahead — to choose beneficiaries for theambitious food security programme. As no clear guidelines have been prescribed by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the state will have to decide the criterion and beneficiaries.u00a0To find a way out, the Democratic Front government has now set up a cabinet sub-committee, headed by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on the issue.

For its flagship programme, the Centre has asked the state to distribute food grains at a subsidised price of R1, R2 and R3 per kg for coarse grain, wheat and rice respectively. Pic/ AFP