In a week from now, the government might call a special session of Parliament to pass the National Food Security Bill. The UPA says it will solve the hunger crisis while its critics say it will only increase corruption, and that the public distribution system must be wound up and replaced by cash transfers. Both sides would do well to learn from the lessons of states like Chhattisgarh which have managed to fix their public distribution system without a Food Security Bill, without cash transfers or the UID.
