New Delhi: Despite opposition from key ally, NCP leader and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, the UPA is set to push through the Food Security ordinance at the Cabinet meet today. If the Cabinet approves it, the ordinance will be sent to President Pranab Mukherjee.

If the President signs it, then the ordinance will have to come into immediate effect. However, with a lot of ground work still pending, the Food Security ordinance cannot be implemented immediately.

Meanwhile, initially opposed to the ordinance, Food Minister  K V Thomas has now come around to calling it the only way forward. The Food Security Bill, a pet project of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, was tabled in the Budget session of Parliament but could not be taken up for discussion due to pandemonium in the Lok Sabha over various scams. However, government is keen on issuing an Ordinance for early implementation of the Bill.