New Delhi, December 18: Ahead of the special cabinet meeting on the draft National Food Security Bill Sunday, 15 protesters were detained outside the prime minister’s residence in the capital.
‘We detained 15 people around 5.30 p.m. who were protesting outside the PM’s house,’ said a police officer.
According to police, the protesters were taken to Tughlak Road police station from the Race Course Road area, where the PM’s residence is situated.
Demanding a universal public distribution system, social activist Kavita Srivastava told IANS that the protest was about the ‘divisive’ food bill.
‘We are against a bill which divides people in this country. Food security should be an entitlement to every one not to only a few sections of the society,’ she said.
The contentious bill that seeks to provide rice at Rs.3, wheat at Rs.2 and coarse grains at Re.1 per kg to over half of India’s 1.2 billion population.
—-Agencies