India: Parliaments lower house passes new cheap food plan

The Indian Parliament's Lower House has passed a Food Security Bill that aims to provide subsidized food to two-thirds of the countries population. Under the plan, which still needs approval from the Parliaments upper-house, 800 million people in poverty would receive five kilograms of cheap grain every month. The bills backers say it is a big step towards eradicating widespread hunger and malnutrition in India, however, the bills critics argue that it is a profligate plan which will damage India's economy. The government launched the program last week by executive degree, but it still parliamentary approval to make it permanent. The legislation will cost 1.3 trillion rupees ($23.9bn) per year to run. Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi made a rare speech in parliament on Monday, in which she urged lawmakers to pass her parties new flagship welfare scheme, saying: "Some people ask - do we have the resources for a such a legislation? I would like to say, the question is not about resources, we will have to manage resources for this", adding: "The question is not if we can do this. We have to do this". However, critics of the bill have dismissed it as a political gimmick ahead of next years general election, with an opposition MP saying: "Its not food security, but a vote securing bill". India accounts for a third of the world's poor, and the new measure would apply to 75% of Indian's living in rural areas and 50% of the urban population.