BHUBANESWAR: The inconsistent monsoon seems to have clouded the food security issue of the common man. The country is going to see a 10 million tonne fall in rice output this kharif season with Orissa being a significant contributor to reduced productivity.

IT is not surprising that questions of food security and the right to food have become such urgent political issues in India today. The rapid growth of aggregate income over the past two decades has not addressed the basic issue of ensuring the food security of the population.

AHEAD of the annual campaign for rabi crops, the Centre has announced a Rs 288-crore subsidy on a variety of seeds for the winter crops after a severe drought hit hard the kharif crops. The government is likely to monitor the quality of all varieties of seeds for key crops.

Zoya Hasan

The time has come for a comprehensive right-to-food law to tackle the deprivation and food insecurity that haunts India.

Aug. 26: The CPI(M) is gearing to launch nationwide movements jointly with other political parties against the UPA government

The draft of the National Food Security Act is going to be presented before Parliament in the winter session. This was one of the main promises made by the Indian National Congress in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, 2009.

Devika Banerji / New Delhi August 25, 2009, 1:01 IST

The central pool of food grains is insufficient to provide for families above the poverty line (APL) who are covered by the Targetted Public Distribution System (TPDS), if they are to be all included in the proposed National Food Security Act, show data from the Planning Commission.

Dr Zafar Altaf, Chairman, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, (PARC) Sunday said that United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan's collaboration to monitor wheat rust UG99 through trilateral pledge will help to ensure food security in the region.