The NAC proposals for the food security bill are narrow and lack in vision. What is needed is a comprehensive bill with universalisation of PDS and a focus on child malnutrition. There was much excitement when food security became one of the issues in the manifestos of most major political parties in the run up to the 2009 General Elections. With burgeoning food stocks, double-digit food inflation, stagnant malnutrition rates, declining...
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Official violated law for Adarsh project, RTI activist complains to ACB
Right to Information (RTI) activist Santosh Daundkar on Tuesday gave a written complaint to the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) against State Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari in connection with the Adarsh Housing Society scam. Mr. Daundkar has requested the ACB to register an FIR against Mr. Tiwari, former Principal Secretary, Urban Development; MLC Kanhaiyalal Gidwani and R.C. Thakur, chief promoter of Adarsh, for violations for law. In his complaint, supported by annexures of...
More »It is a blow to OBC interests' by Rishikesh Bahadur Desai
The number of seats for them in ZPs will go down following amendment to Act A recent Ordinance of the State Government amends the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act and caps the reservation to various deprived communities at 50 per cent. This means that half the seats are available to general merit candidates. This, according to the Ordinance, will be achieved by keeping the reservation for SC/STs intact and reducing the number...
More »No right to food yet! by Praful Bidwai
India has missed a historic opportunity to abolish hunger through a universal public distribution system (PDS), which entitles all citizens to affordable food. The National Advisory Council (NAC), a progressive body established by the United Progressive Alliance, was to draft such a law, but has recommended a Bill which greatly reduces the public's entitlements. This is a setback. India's annual per capita cereal consumption has fallen to 174 kg, lower than...
More »Food Security Sans PDS: Universalization Through Targeting? by Smita Gupta
The case of the Food Security Bill gets curiouser and curiouser. What started off as a fight between universalization and targeting has ended (or so it would seem) in a complete victory in the National Advisory Council, Government of India (NAC) for targeting through universalization (if such a thing was possible), with the honourable exception of Prof Jean Dreze, who has to be commended for his ‘note of disagreement’. On...
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