-Reuters LONDON: Poverty and the all-consuming fretting that comes with it require so much mental energy that the poor have little brain power left to devote to other areas of life, according to the findings of an international study published on Thursday. The mental strain could be costing poor people up to 13 IQ (intelligence quotient) points and means they are more likely to make mistakes and bad decisions that amplify and...
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'Food security bill to cover about 3-times the number of poor'
-PTI According to Planning Commission estimates, 21.9% of the people live below the poverty line in 2011-12. The food security programme is not restricted to the poor and the population covered by it is about three times the number of people below the poverty line, Parliament was told today. 'The government has decided to cover 67 per cent of the population under Food Security Act. The proposed coverage is not restricted to the...
More »Poverty cannot be addressed through Food Security Bill: Ganeshamurthi
-The Hindu Erode (Tamil Nadu): The UPA Government ought to feel "ashamed" to assume that poverty that could not be eradicated through spending of several thousands of crores of rupees in successive five-year plans could be addressed through the Food Security Bill, according to A. Ganeshamurthi, Lok Sabha MP representing Erode constituency. Mr. Ganeshamurthi, who is also Member, Consultative Committee on the Ministry of Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, said...
More »More bite, less to chew -Latha Jishnu, Jyotika Sood and Suchitra M
-Down to Earth The most controversial aspect of the food security law is the restructuring of the public distribution system to cover an unprecedented 67 per cent of the population, most of them in the poorer states. LATHA JISHNU, JYOTIKA SOOD and SUCHITRA M explain why there are winners and losers in the new dispensation and how states with better PDS will have to find huge resources to keep their numbers...
More »Prof. Jean Dreze, Development economist interviewed by Down to Earth
-Down to Earth Development economist JEAN DREZE, known for his work on issues such as hunger, famine, social and human development in India, child health and education is not particularly happy with the way the National Food Security Bill has turned out. Although the proposed law has changed dramatically from the time Dreze pushed it during his days at the National Advisory Council, he is campaigning actively for its passage. Currently,...
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