Food for thought

Given its likely political impact, it’s not surprising the government is anxious to try and quickly bring in the Food Security Bill (FSB) that promises subsidised foodgrain to 75% of the population—the poor will get a higher subsidy. The government would, however, do well to pay heed to the red flags raised by Ashok Gulati, a person the government thought highly enough of to make the head of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). Gulati, and his co-authors, whose paper is hosted on the CACP website, don’t approach the issue from the point of view of whether the subsidies are required or not. They approach it from the point of view of what this will do for the agriculture sector.

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