Supporters are cheering for a giant, new program launched by the government of India to provide subsidized food to nearly 800 million poor people.  That’s two-thirds of the sub-continental nation’s population.

Once President Pranab Mukherjee signs the “National Food Security Bill” into law, impoverished families can get 5 kilograms of grain per month.  The program is rooted in the Congress Party's determination to project commitment to food security as a key aspect of its 2014 campaign.

Supporters say it will go a long way in reducing poverty, especially in parts of the country which are worse off than sub-Saharan Africa. The government insists money will not be a problem.

But some economists question how India can fund the program, which will make the country’s annual food subsidy double to more than A$26.5 Billion.  Critics also do not trust India’s notoriously corrupt and inefficient state-owned cheap food ration shops.