The government's flagship National Food Security Bill was finally passed in the Lok Sabha after a nine-hour-long debate on Monday (read it here). The scheme aims to cover 67 percent population of the country and offer them food at highly subsidised rates.

While Sonia Gandhi told parliament that the government can shoulder the responsibility of ensuring food security for all Indians, critics say the authorities would have to seriously deal with the problem of corruption in the existing public distribution system to make the project work. Eyebrows are also being raised about successful implementation of the scheme given the atrocious levels of storage facilities and transportation in the country.

In these circumstances, would the legislation, once implemented, really end the problem of hunger in the country? Would it really be implemented in the true sense of the term? Or will it prove to be just another election gimmick?