Come July and 12 crore children benefiting from the mid-day meal (MDM) scheme may go without food as states have nearly run out of foodgrain and fresh supply is caught up in wrangling over the mode of payment. Foodgrain for every quarter is usually lifted a month in advance. But with June approaching and the department of food and public distribution and HRD ministry still to resolve differences on payment,...

Kerala Food and Civil Supplies Minister C. Divakaran has come out strongly against the suggestion of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) that the Union government withdraw from grain procurement, storage and distribution under the Public Distribution System (PDS) and outsource these to private operators. FICCI makes the suggestion in a study report, which was released a few days ago. In a statement here on Monday, Mr. Divakaran...

Hunger deaths present a sober reality check to Bihar government  With the National Democratic Alliance government in Bihar playing cowboys and Indians with the Centre over the number of BPL (below the poverty line) families in the State, Gaya's hunger deaths proffer a sober reality check to the government consistently serenading its schemes for the Maha Dalit community. Three years ago, 14 members of the Bhuiyyan community (a Maha Dalit sub-caste)...

Biodiversity drives sustainable and climate-resilient farming and the biotechnology industry. Everything should be done to spread bio-literacy for an era of bio-happiness in rural and urban India through the conversion of bio-resources into jobs and income.  Biodiversity provides building blocks for sustainable food, health and livelihood security systems. It is the feedstock for the biotechnology industry and a climate-resilient farming system. Given its importance, a Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)...

In India peasantry is under assault. There is a five-pronged attack on this class and the mighty Indian state is sometimes an active and sometimes a passive abettor. The first point of attack is from the corporate sector. The corporate sector is in a land grab mode. Though not justified, one could understand their urge to get land for industry and real estate purposes. Not that they are causing aggressive...