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Food security today became a law after President Pranab Mukherjee gave his consent to an ordinance in this regard. The Cabinet had already cleared the ordinance on Wednesday.
With this, almost 800 million of India's 1.2 billion population may now be entitled to five kg of foodgrain each a month at subsidized rates. Subsidized rates are -- Rs 3 a kg for rice, Rs 2 a kg for wheat and Rs 1 a kg for coarse grains.
The food subsidy will swell to Rs 1,24,724 crore in a year at 2013-14 costs. The Budget had pegged food subsidy at Rs 90,000 crore for 2013-14.
Ordinance will lapse if it does not get Parliament's approval within six weeks of the first sitting of the monsoon session.
