Amid debate on the coverage of people under the proposed food security Bill, Food Minister K V Thomas on Saturday met Congress President and National Advisory Council (NAC) Chairman Sonia Gandhi and apprised her of the progress made in finalising the proposed Bill.
His meeting comes against the backdrop of both Planning Commission and Rural Development Ministry suggesting that coverage of beneficiaries for entitlements under the proposed food security Bill is not final and will be determined once the socio-economic caste census is completed by January 2012.
According to an official statement, the food minister informed the Congress president that the draft Bill had been circulated to all chief ministers for their comment.
He also apprised Gandhi of the various other initiatives that his ministry was taking in areas such as augmentation of storage capacity under various schemes, including the Private Entrepreneur Guarantee scheme, the statement added.
Issues like efforts to ensure prompt and uninterrupted supply of foodgrains, especially in the Northeastern states, curbing the ill-effects of misleading advertisements and creating awareness against food wastages, especially in social functions, were also discussed during the meeting.