THE DEBATE on the National Food Security Bill, tabled in parliament three months ago, is on full swing. Economists from both sides are arming their arguments with facts and logic. The people who would benefit of this legislation are in a dilemma. This prompts the consideration that the experts must try to see the issue from the ground reality of food security and its beneficiaries. Undoubtedly, it’s a great and historical...
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LS members lambast Montek, seek disbandment of panel-J Balaji
Lok Sabha members, cutting across party lines, on Wednesday lambasted Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia for the “cut-off poverty line” estimate released by the Commission and sought his removal as well as its disbandment “for deceiving the country and cheating people”. “This is a cruel joke on the poor,” the members asserted and demanded a statement from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Speaker Meira Kumar too expressed her concern on the...
More »Poverty data faulty, have not fudged numbers: panel
-The Hindustan Times The Planning Commission on Tuesday admitted of a serious flaw in the National Sample Survey data and national accounts, which led to pegging the poverty line at Rs 28 per capita daily consumption in cities. Plan panel deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia said the discrepancy between the consumer survey, on whose basis the poverty number were derived, and national accounts was a serious statistical problem. The commission...
More »Plan panel sticks to figures, says poverty came down 7.3% in 10 years
-The Times of India Even as the opposition accused the government of tampering with poverty figures, Planning Commission stuck to its stand that poverty had declined by 7.3% between 2004-05 and 2009-10, a period when the Congress-led UPA has been in power. "You can put whatever poverty line you want, the fact is... the decline in poverty is twice the decline in the previous 11 years," Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh...
More »State Information Commission to help harassed RTI activists-Faizan Ahmad
To make the RTI Act more effective and meaningful, the State Information Commission(SIC) has come out with a mechanism to help the activists being harassed and tortured for seeking information and take action against their tormentors. Working at the suggestion of CM Nitish Kumar, the SIC has decided to create a monitoring cell and deploy officials in its office and provide a helpline number for filing their complaints which will...
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