‘Food law an extension of existing scheme’

New Delhi: Ahead of WTO meeting early next month, Food Minister KV Thomas on Thursday said the food law, which aims to give legal right to subsidised foodgrain to the poor, is an extension of existing welfare schemes.
The Cabinet met on Thursday to finalise India’ stand on many trade issues, including food security law, to be taken at WTO meeting in Bali during December 3-6.
India is unlikely to endorse the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) at Bali unless subsidies given under the food security law are excluded from the list of ‘prohibited subsidy’ by the WTO.
Asked about India’s stand on food law, Thomas said: “We will tell the WTO that this is something that is existing. The subsidy given under the food law is already existing.”
India will inform WTO that it has been providing subsidies for supply of cheaper foodgrains to the poor people via public distribution system (PDS) for many years now. “It is not something new. It is existing,” he told reporters.
“There is no difference in the quantity of foodgrains nor the subsidy, the main difference is in the outlook. We say it as a welfare measure, a right-based measure,” the Minister said, adding that the legislation has been well appreciated by the UN body Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Foodgrains requirement would be 62 million tonnes, while subsidies would be Rs 1,13,000 crore under the law, he added.
In September, Parliament passed the food law to give 67 per cent of the population the right to subsidised foodgrains. (PTI)