-Firstpost.com The biggest hoodwink is the starved Poshan Abhiyan 2.0, which though merges the Supplementary Nutrition Programme and the Poshan Abhiyan, has been allocated an amount less than what was prescribed for Anganwadi services in 2020 In a post-truth world, the plain cold statistics in the fine print of the Union Budget 2021 often reveal more than the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's speech. The budget for NREGA labourers has been slashed despite...
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Poorest households most in need often left out of PDS, finds study -Jagriti Chandra
-The Hindu Analysis of NFHS-4 data finds skewed distribution of BPL cards that provide access to various welfare schemes, including food ration A first-ever study on the linkages between the availability of PDS (public distribution system) ration and the prevalence of malnutrition finds that the poorest households most in need of free food grains are often left out of the scheme. The study is authored by Basant K. Panda, Sanjay K. Mohanty, Itishree...
More »Left slams PM on steps to counter COVID-19 outbreak
-The Hindu ‘PM failed to outline concrete steps on COVID-19’ The Left parties slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on the COVID-19 saying that the PM failed to outline any concrete measures to contain it and its economic fallout. The CPI(M) has made 11 demands, including cash transfer of ₹5,000 to Jan Dhan accounts and all BPL (Below Poverty Line) beneficiaries to temporarily tide over the crisis. The party also...
More »Prof. Abhijit Sen, a former member of the erstwhile Planning Commission, interviewed by Asit Ranjan Mishra (Livemint.com)
-Livemint.com If you want to give a cash benefit, do it without distinguishing between farmers and non-farmers A toothless NITI Aayog is trying to flex its muscles on India’s statistical system. And in doing so, it is destroying its credibility NEW DELHI: The income support scheme announced in the interim budget for small and marginal farmers is both regressive and inefficient, because it neither includes the poorest landless farmers, nor does it...
More »Universal Basic Income can be funded by reducing subsidies to the rich -Pranab Bardhan
-The Indian Express I think packaging a significant UBIS with a simultaneous increase in the taxes on the rich will help macro-economic stability, apart from assuaging the poor who will face some of the price rise in commodities or services, when subsidies are withdrawn. After my last op-ed in this paper (The safety net of the future) several readers, intrigued by the idea of a Universal Basic Income Supplement (UBIS) proposed...
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