Bangalore: While the noble idea of eradicating India’s hunger and malnutrition through a Food Security Bill is really laudable, but the practicality of this highly expensive bill has resulted in heated debates across the country.

Among all the negativism associated with the food security initiative, the extremely corrupt Public Distribution System (PDS) stands a blockade on the route to smooth implementation of the bill.

The basic parameters; inadequate access to food, diminutive growth in children and infant mortality, on which hunger and malnutrition are measured, India has the world’s largest population of hungry and malnourished. To list the sad facts – nearly 50 percent of our children are malnourished, around 30 percent of babies in India are born underweight, more than 50 percent of women are anemic, over 320 million sleep hungry every night in India, and nearly 836 million people live on less than 20 rupees a day in our country – isn’t it sad? And can this bill with no measures to improve the distribution system or to identify the deserved beneficiaries be effective?

Let’s talk about the money. As per the proposed subsidy bill, it would need 1,00,000 Lakh crore an year and as the Minimum Support Prices go up, this amount is sure to skyrocket every year. Will the government, with its notorious bureaucratic structure, be able to ensure the required cash flow in time to the agencies to implement this dream project? No, not many think so and would be more comfortable saying it a near impossibility. Moreover, as the economy seemingly moving towards a predicted slowdown, economists fear if the country can afford to spend such huge amounts on food subsidies. Again, what will be the additional fiscal burden that will be imposed on the government?