Page 464 - SSB Interview: The Complete Guide, Second Edition

territories in terms of poverty, availability of infrastructure and socio-
economic development. Six low-income states — Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh — are home to more
than one-third of India’s population. Severe disparities exist among states in

terms of income, literacy rates, life expectancy and living conditions.

The five-year plans, especially in the pre-liberalisation era, attempted to
reduce regional disparities by encouraging industrial development in the

interior regions and distributing industries across states, but the results have
not been very encouraging since these measures in fact increased inefficiency

and hampered effective industrial growth. After liberalisation, the more
advanced states have been better placed to benefit from them, with well-
developed infrastructure and an educated and skilled workforce, which attract
the manufacturing and service sectors. The governments of backward regions

are trying to reduce disparities by offering tax holidays and cheap land, and
focusing more on sectors like tourism which, although being geographically

and historically determined, can become a source of growth and develops
faster than other sectors.

FOOD SECURITY BILL

The Indian National Food Security Act, 2013, was signed into law on 12
September 2013. This law aims to provide subsidised foodgrains to

approximately two-thirds of India’s 1.2 billion people. Under the provisions
of the bill, beneficiaries are to be able to purchase 5kg per eligible person per
month of cereals at the following prices:

Rice at `3 per kg

Wheat at `2 per kg

Coarse grains (millet) at `1 per kg.

Pregnant women, lactating mothers and certain categories of children are
eligible for daily free meals. The bill has been highly controversial. It was
introduced into India’s Parliament in December 2012, promulgated as a

presidential ordinance in July 2013 and enacted into law in August 2013.