The embarrassment of riches in grain stocks confronting the government is a problem of its own making. It is the product of ill-conceived policies on grain procurement, storage and distribution and mistimed decisions on opening and shutting of Foodgrain exports. The grain stocks that have piled up as a consequence are far more than needed for any rational inventory and public distribution programme. Burgeoning food stocks pose problems of storage...
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Food subsidy bill shoots up by a whopping of Rs 34,738 cr by Prabha Jagannathan
The Centre's food subsidy bill, incurred mainly on account of reimbursemnet of economic costs to theFood Corporation of India for grain procurement, holding and transportation, has shot up by a whopping Rs 34,738 crore compared to the budgetary allocation for 2011-12. This is mainly due to government buys of a record foodgrain crop in the 2010-11 agricultural year (july-june).The original subsidy for the year was estimated at Rs 47,239.8 crore....
More »The politics of foodgrain management by Himanshu
The empowered group of ministers (eGoM) recently decided on two important steps seen crucial for management of foodgrains. The first was the finalization of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and, secondly, extending the term of the Nandan Nilekani committee to explore the possibility of introducing cash transfers for delivering food subsidy directly to the poor. Another linked decision was to allow exports of wheat and rice to international markets. The...
More »EGoM to discuss Food Security Bill, grains' export by K Balchand
It will estimate the NAC's and Food Ministry's recommendations and finalise the food security coverage The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) is meeting here on July 11 to consider the crucial Food Security Bill and allowing export of foodgrains. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reviewed the Food Security Bill last week along with Union Food Minister K.V. Thomas and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, ahead of the EGoM meeting which would...
More »Food Minister gives nod to export of wheat, rice
-Express News Service Having resisted the export of foodgrain since taking charge in January, Food Minister K V Thomas on Wednesday said that he was not opposed to export of “some quantity of wheat and rice” as there is bumper production in the country. Thomas’s statement holds significance as he has been publicly speaking against foodgrain export, citing the proposed food security law. “Our department is not negative to the idea of...
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