AS BILLBOARDS across Chhattisgarh hardsell the state government's Rs 771-crore food security scheme envisaging distribution of rice at Rs 3 per kg to 34 lakh poor households, CM Ram Singh has embarked on an equally ambitious mission: Monitoring its execution right down to the level of the PDS outlet. It's a tech-savvy monitoring plan, involving not only SMS and internet alerts on availability and supply positions to the beneficiary families and panchayat members of the targeted villages, but also retro-fitting of rice-transporting trucks with GPS devices to track their journey from the godowns to the PDS outlets. Thrown in are a toll-free number

Asom Social Welfare Minister Ajanta Neog has today admitted on the floor of the State Assembly that the problem of undernourishment of children in the State is alarming, and it is a national problem. She, however, said the State Government will not compromise at any level when it comes to the supply of nutritious food for children. "We have taken it as a challenge,' she said. Replying to a call attention notice from AGP MLA Dr Kamala Kalita, Neog said: "Factors responsible for undernutrition of children are many. Funds and public awareness are a must for ensuring proper nutrition of children in the State.' She said all the funds released by the State Government and the Centre for supply of nutritious food for children have already been sent to the deputy commissioners for supply of nutritious food for children. "The supply of nutritious food for children has been decentralized, and the State Government has formed as many as 37,000 management committees to monitor the supply of such food for children,' Neog added.

Markets and partnerships can be effective only when there are strong and enforceable regulations, meaningful competition, and an informed consumer base. These are rare in rural India. With less than one per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) invested in public healthcare provision, India is currently one of the world's most privatised health economies. It is a country which is home to one-fifth of the world's diseases, where the regular level of malnourished children is higher than that of sub-Saharan Africa, and with higher rates of anaemia and maternal under-nourishment. The buzzwords inscribed into current government policy, includi ng the Eleventh Five Year Plan, are Public Private Partnerships (PPPs)

Change in their eating habits deprives women of vital nutrients. A cup of coffee sweetened by jaggery relaxes Muniyammma. With renewed energy she goes back to the field to help transport the just-harvested bundles of ragi from Kaggalipura to the threshing mills. Some 40km away, in Bangalore, Muniyamma's sister Jyothi sips a cup of coffee bought at Rs 3 from a roadside vendor. Sweetened with white sugar, the coffee allows her to take a break from carrying stones on a construction site. Because jaggery has been replaced with refined sugar, Jyothi has unknowingly deprived herself of its rich nutrients. While a kilogram of jaggery has 28 grams of mineral salts