The food security bill might just remain a distant hope, even though UPA chief Sonia Gandhi wants to hurry it through the Parliament halls.

The government bull-dozed the national advisory council (NAC) efforts to put the bill on a fast track, after she pushed a draft through the advisory body ten days ago, saying that it would not hardsell it to the Parliament before it secured public opinion on the issue.

The NAC draft promised rice, wheat and coarse grains to the poor at giveaway prices. But the government government clarified its stand on the issue on Tuesday saying that a consenus has evaded the empowered group of ministers (EGoM) constituted to assess the draft. The finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, following a mid-year analysis of the government finances, said that the draft bill will get the government's nod only after the EGoM directions on it are incorporated and the bill has been passed public scrutiny and appraisal. The government plans to put the draft online once it is ready to let the citizens assess it.

Officials said there are many issues impeding the Bill, including the ticklish question of demarcating the beneficiaries who are below the poverty line and hence the government would circulate it for eliciting the public views before bringing it before Parliament. They said the draft bill will also go to the state governments for their views as they are ultimately going to be the implementing authorities.

It means the process will take time even though the prime minister, in deference to Sonia's wish, wants the bill moved fast. He had, on Tuesday, convened a meeting of the senior ministers that included Pranab Mukherjee, Sharad Pawar, P Chidambaram and planning commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and the his economic advisory council (EAC) chief Dr C Rangarajan to examine the 40-page draft received from the NAC.

However, even the NAC is yet to undertake vetting of the draft bill that it hopes to complete in an "intensive discussion" slated on Friday. The final shape of the draft bill may emerge in the next NAC meeting slated on November 21, sources said.