-Economic and Political Weekly The public distribution system is the cornerstone of anti-poverty initiatives in India to address the issue of hunger and malnutrition, but is plagued with leakages and corruption. Though several possible reasons account for these problems, one factor that is generally overlooked is the lack of assessment of the preference of the beneficiaries in terms of product portfolio, selection, and delivery mechanisms. Through a mixed methods analysis across...

-Hindustan Times Expanding the scheme will improve incomes, boost demand. Along with expanding the scheme, the ministry must also roll out without delay, as promised, a programme for skill building of these workers so they can move up the economic value chain, and also utilise this labour in a proactive manner for water conservation projects, another key programme of the Centre. A report in the Hindustan Times on Monday said that...

-Down to Earth Despite the increasing burden respiratory infections and water borne disease, the budgetary allowance for health has steadily dipped in the last few years, according to the National Health Report A degraded environment filled with air and water pollution continues to affect health of people in India, according to the National Health Report (NHP) released on October 31, 2019. Air pollution-linked acute respiratory infections contributed 68.47 per cent to the morbidity...

-Livemint.com * E-trading introduced as part of agriculture reforms has had limited impact on farmers, say farm experts * E-trading has had limited impact on the agricultural community, which continues to be at the mercy of the middlemen BENGALURU: It has been four months since 24-year-old Chandan from Mallehalli village in Mysuru district sold his produce of around 1,000kg of tomatoes in the local market. At nearly Rs.500 for 20kg, prices were good...

-The Hindu Business Line Clause for compensation panel, regulation of seed prices scrapped New Delhi: The revised draft Seeds Bill 2019, which the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare placed in the public domain recently for suggestions and comments, seems to be a watered down version of a draft prepared about nine years ago by the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. Among other things, the new draft has done away with the...