-NDTV Could two million tonnes of wheat produced in the country end up as cattle fodder overseas even as millions go hungry at home? A day after the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the export of 2 million tonnes of wheat, Right to Food activists have written to the Prime Minister slamming the move. They want a reversal of the decision. The letter, signed by a number of leading activists including...

-The Hindu An odd job that was going to earn her some extra money happened to turn 23-year-old Aarthi Jaiswal into a voice for her neighbourhood in Jahangirpuri here. A few months ago she and a group of her friends were hired for Rs.150 per day to conduct a house-to-house survey asking for people’s opinion on the Delhi Government’s proposal to replace the public distribution system with direct cash transfers into...

-The Hindustan Times There is a widespread perception of policy paralysis in the corridors of power. The two remaining years of the UPA's term is still not too short to reverse the current drift, but time is rapidly running out. The damaged economy needs urgent fixing as does restoring the credibility of an executive racked by scandals and the absence of a sense of direction. The people of the country long...

-IANS The government wants to plug leakages in the public distribution system (PDS) before it implements the ambitious National Food Security Bill and has asked states to complete the process of computerisation of data on beneficiaries by October this year. The proposed law, a pet project of United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, aims to give legal right to cheaper foodgrain to 63.5 per cent of the population. According to a senior official...

-The Deccan Herald Proposals to replace the public distribution system with direct cash transfer into individual accounts under the proposed Food Security Bill do not have any taker, claim social activists. These activists are lobbying against cash transfers. But others believe this is better than  distributing foodgrain among the poor. According to controversial proposal, the public distribution system (PDS) which provides subsidised foodgrain will be replaced with direct cash subsidies. A fixed amount will...