In the season of draft Bills, the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council has come out with its draft of the National Food Security Act, 2011, that gives legal backing to the highly leaky PDS system, thereby excluding innovative options like cash transfers, which may have included variants like food stamps and UID-linked smart cards.
This draft national food security bill approved by the National Advisory Council legalises PDS as the approach for implementing the provisions of food security and calls for improved storage and doorstep delivery of grain to the targeted PDS outlets.
As food stocks reach record levels, the food ministry has decided to move grains faster from producing to non-producing states, make additional allocation under various social welfare schemes and create more storage space.
Total stocks of grains (wheat and rice) in the central pool as on May 1 was estimated to be 59.13 million tonnes, of which wheat comprised 31.37 million tonnes and rice 27.76
The Union Cabinet has approved a headcount to assess the number of people below the poverty line (BPL) after a gap of nine years, but it could not end a debate over the methodology of counting the poor and extending social welfare activities like food and health to all. On the one side of the debate are social activists and states, and on the other stands the Planning Commission. Till the Ni
To ensure transparency in delivery of commodities to the poor in Rajasthan The Rajasthan Government has decided to conduct the much sought-after social audit for fair price shops functioning under the public distribution system (PDS) to ensure transparency and effectiveness in the delivery of essential commodities to poor people.
Though India is one of the largest producers of the food in the world, nearly three hundred million people struggle for meeting two square meals a day and 21 percent of the national population are malnourished. This indicates the issues of accessibility to adequate and nutritive food to the poor.
Collector C.Munianathan chairs coordination committee meeting NAGAPATTINAM: Over 4.24 lakh family card holders would be entitled to the free rice proposed for distribution through the public distribution system, as promised by the Chief Minister in her election manifesto. A coordination meeting in this regard was conducted here under Collector C.Munianathan at the Collectorate on Thursday.
CHENNAI: The scheme of free distribution of 20 kg rice to beneficiaries under the public distribution system (PDS) will come into force on June 1. At present, rice is given at Re. 1 a kg to those who are entitled to receive the commodity.
WHEN UNION Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar announced a bumper harvest last month, “the highest since 1947”, commodities markets perked up, sniffing food export opportunities.
Aadhaar has started yielding results. Maheswaram, in Ranga Reddy district, is the first mandal to issue ration through the public distribution system (PDS) based on Aadhaar-type smart cards with biometric authentication. This process saves about 20 per cent of ration. Confirms Mr K.R.B.H.N.
