-The Times of India The government has provided a back-door entry for contractors and the food industry to corner the lucrative ICDS food supply budget through the National food security bill - a move that had seen controversy earlier too but could now become part of the law if passed by Parliament. In a footnote to one of the three schedules of the bill, the government has provided that children between 6...

-The Business Standard Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi professor and development economist Reetika Khera tells Sreelatha Menon that the food Bill may not be a leap ahead, but it is certainly a step forward * The food Bill is a guarantee for lifelong dependence on government doles. As an economist, can one defend such a policy? The food Bill should be seen as an investment. "Labour" is India's most important asset. In that sense,...

-The Financial Express Leading economists who fear that the cost of the food security law on the exchequer would be much higher than estimated by the government have a seemingly unlikely ally - farmers' groups. A couple of national-level farmers' organisations have opposed the National food security bill, saying it would "lead to nationalisation of agriculture by making the government the biggest buyer, hoarder and seller of foodgrains". Farmers' representatives from a...

-The Business Standard Sale price of Rs 3 per kg for rice, Rs 2 for wheat and Re 1 for coarse cereals will be revised every three years The National food security bill is expected to be tabled in Parliament today, after being cleared by the Cabinet earlier this week. The Bill has said that it will be responsibility of the central government to provide assistance to the states in meeting the expenditure...

-Live Mint Poor children up to the age of six years to get free meals, Bill emphasizes reforms in public distribution system The revised food security bill, which is expected to be tabled on Friday in the Lok Sabha, has provisions to make state governments pay allowances to beneficiaries in case they fail to provide the foodgrain promised under the proposed legislation, and extends maternity benefits to every pregnant woman and lactating...