Nitish launches food security law

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today launched the Food security law providing subsidised foodgrains to poor and reminded Congress not claim credit for it alone saying his party had equally contributed to the legislation.
Kumar launched the food security law in the state through video conference at a function here.
Launching the law in four districts of Bihar today, the CM said beneficiaries would get 5 kg of rice and wheat at a price of Rs 3 and Rs 2 respectively.
The ambitious food security law would cover around eight crore population of Bihar out of a total of 10.41 crore. It would extend benefits of low priced staple foodgrains to 86 per cent population in villages and 74 per cent in urban areas.

With the launch today, the law came into force in four districts namely Patna, Purnia, Gopalganj and Nalanda, while it would be implemented in rest of the 34 districts by the end of February this year.
Kumar, who has been regularly firing salvos at Congress, in recent days be it Rahul Gandhi's comment on 1984 anti-sikh riots or controversy over denial of invitation for foundation laying ceremony of Aligarh Muslim University campus at Kisanganj, did not miss the chance to remind the party not to claim entire credit for it.
"They will try to take the entire credit for the food security law themselves but its not true," he said.

"There were a lot of loopholes in the draft legislation of the food security bill which we got corrected besides JD(U) had a crucial role in getting it passed in Parliament," Kumar said.