Food Ordinance put on hold

Government today put on hold its plans to bring an Ordinance on Food Security in the face of opposition within and outside and decided to make another attempt to evolve a consensus to get it through in a special session of Parliament.
The proposal was deferred when it came up at the Union Cabinet meeting this morning with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying there was need to take parties along on this measure.
Congress sources said that it was Sonia Gandhi who impressed upon the Prime Minister the need to go for a consensus and pass it in a special session without rushing with an ordinance.

However, the government has not closed the option of resorting to promulgating an Ordinance if there is no consensus during the meetings it plans with Opposition on the issue.
After the hour-long Cabinet meeting, Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters that the government will make one more attempt to forge consensus with opposition parties on passage of the bill in a special session of Parliament.