‘Extra expense won’t exceed Rs 100,000 crore, will be spread over 5 years’.
Critics have slammed a bloated subsidy that has been proposed for the food security bill, but officials in the government strongly believe that the resultant additional burden will not be above Rs 27,000 crore to meet the commitments under the proposed legislation.
The 12th five-year plan will strive for a 60 per cent reduction in new Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections by 2017. The plan document will also incorporate recommendations of a Planning Commission working group constituted to suggest measures to strengthen AIDS control in the country.
A pilot survey has already been conducted in Amritsar, Imphal and Mumbai, will soon reach to other places.
For the first time, the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) plans to conduct a nationwide survey to assess the extent of drug abuse in various parts of the country.
To improve offtake of foodgrain allocated to states under the targeted public distribution system (PDS) and other schemes, the food ministry has mooted a proposal to sell wheat and rice to below poverty line (BPL) families at Rs 2 and Rs 3 per kilogram, respectively.
To ward off any threat of huge grain imports on the government’s account in the event of drought or natural calamity, the draft Food Security Bill proposes to pay through cash or vouchers in lieu o
An agricultural research institute in India has developed hybrid varieties of pigeon pea (arhar), which promise to significantly raise output and cut import dependence for the produce.
