The National Advisory Council (nac) — which has been working hard over the last month to try and narrow down its differences with the Planning Commission and the government on the contentious issue of food security — is meeting here on Saturday to look at an amended proposal. The nac's food hardliners have finally accepted, after several informal interactions with the Commission and government representatives, that universalisation of food security...

Along with the proposed food security legislation and the communal violence Bill that have been its focus until now, the reconstituted National Advisory Council (nac) is beginning to focus again on the government’s marquee rural job guarantee scheme as well. The ministry of rural development has been told to make a presentation on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to a working group of the nac on Friday,...

It will develop blueprint to achieve ‘health for all' by 2020 Recognising the importance of defining a comprehensive strategy for universal health coverage, the Planning Commission has set up a high level expert group to develop a blueprint and investment plan for meeting the human resource requirements to achieve ‘health for all' by 2020. The 15-member high level group on universal health coverage, chaired by K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public...

Enhanced food grains production and productivity in general, and in rain-fed areas in particular, would pave the way for an autonomous, decentralised PDS which should be the goal of public policy in India's march to food and nutrition security, the former secretary said. "We need to build on some of the existing programmes through an appropriate strategy for increased agricultural production, with a new emphasis on dryland agriculture," Venugopal said....

Narayanpatna, a tribal dominated area in Orissa's Koratpur district, is once again on the boil. It was just in 2009, that Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh, an organisation believed to be a frontal body of Maoists, was involved in a land-grab movement that shocked the rest of the state. In July 2009, the organisation had forcibly taken over 2000 acres of land, owned by non-tribals, forcing 400 Dalit families to flee. Now, after a...