Decision comes in the wake of court's concern In the wake of the concern expressed by the Supreme Court at foodgrains rotting, the Union government on Thursday decided to release an additional 2.5 million tonnes of rice and wheat to the States for distribution to the poor under the Targeted Public Distribution System. The grain will be sold at Below the Poverty Line (BPL) rates in the next six months. It was also...

Taking exception to Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's statement, the Supreme Court today asserted that it had ordered free distribution of foodgrains to the poor instead of allowing them to rot in godowns and it was not a suggestion as made out by him. "It was not a suggestion. It is there in our order. You tell the Minister," the court told the government counsel. A bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and...

The Supreme Court on Tuesday took strong exception to Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar's statement that sugar prices might rise in near future. The apex court said that statements like these would encourage hoarding of sugar. The Supreme Court also asserted that it had ordered free distribution of foodgrains to the poor instead of allowing them to rot in godowns and it was not a suggestion as made out by...

In the five years of the Right to Information Act, activists who use it have faced reprisal across the country. OCTOBER 2010 marks the fifth anniversary of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The Act and its implementation have been described in both administrative circles and civil society as “revolutionary” , “a blow for transparency”, “a check on corrupt practices” and “a people's intervention tool with tremendous impact”. Social activists and...

A parliamentary standing committee has recently asked the government to introduce the national food security Bill in the winter session of the Lok Sabha. A promise to implement a Bill of this kind was first mooted in President Pratibha Patil's inaugural speech last year when she mentioned the government's intention to provide each family below the poverty line (BPL) with 25 kg of foodgrains a month at Rs 3 per...