State governments are raising objections about the coverage under the proposed Food Security Bill, saying that covering 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of urban as advocated by both the draft Bill and the Standing Committee of Parliament is unacceptable.

“The Centre is saying that the proposed food Bill will ensure food for all. But in reality, this is not the case,” West Bengal Food Minister Jyotipriya Mullick said. He said the Centre should instead cover all sections of the population under the Bill and there should not be any provision for cash transfers under the Bill.

Differences came to the fore ahead of the government giving a final shape to the National Food Security Bill, as a number of states opposed key provisions of the legislative proposal. The state governments made their differences clear broadly on two issues — quantity of foodgrains and number of beneficiaries.

Consistent with its stand the Tamil Nadu government made it clear during a meeting of the food ministers of states in the national capital that the state would like to be exempted from the ambit of the Food Bill. Tamil Nadu maintains that the state has a better scheme, which is universal unlike the Food Bill, which would compulsory exclude 33 per cent of the population from its ambit.

While the UPA government is seeking to push its ambitious food guarantee law in the forthcoming Budget Session of Parliament, many state governments on Wednesday objected to several provisions in the proposed Bill with Tamil Nadu seeking an outright exemption citing lack of clarity in the Bill.

A meeting of state food ministers was convened on Wednesday by the Centre to discuss the National Food Security Bill. Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, in fact, wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh highlighting his reservation on issues related to quantum of foodgrain being guaranteed and ceiling on beneficiaries being imposed on states among other issues.

Caution Centre against trying to rush the new measure through Parliament

Even as the Centre hopes to introduce and pass the National Food Security Bill in the coming Budget session of Parliament, several States have expressed reservations on the Bill. At a consultation meeting of State Food Ministers here to evolve a consensus on the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee to which the government Bill was referred on Wednesday, many States differed on crucial provisions, particularly the ones relating to identification of beneficiaries, sustained availability of grains, proposed cut in individual entitlement and additional expenses to be borne by them.

He was addressing the consultation meet of state food ministers on Food Bill here.

With Centre planning to present Food Bill in the Budget session of Parliament, Food Minister K V Thomas today urged states to evolve a consensus on contentious issues like coverage and identification of beneficiaries. The Food Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2011, aims to give legal right over subsidised foodgrains to two-third of the country's population.

Rural families in low income states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal depend far less on ration shops for wheat and rice than the national average.

The finalised chapter on health in the 12th Plan document envisages a large role for the private sector in health care.