-Hindustan Times India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) after the enactment of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) promises 5kg foodgrain per persons at a highly subsidised cost of ₹3/kg for rice, Rs.2/kg for wheat and Rs.1/kg for cereals. The government will stand to lose this revenue after the decision to make PDS Entitlements free. New Delhi: On December 24, the Union government announced a rejig of India’s food security programme. It has...
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A welcome move: On the free grains scheme under food security law
-The Hindu The Centre’s taking up the burden for free food grain distribution in 2023 will provide relief to States The Government has decided not to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, (PMGKY), a scheme that ran between April 2020 to December 2022 (except for a short period in between), and provided additional allocation of food grains, i.e., rice or wheat from the central pool at five kilograms a month...
More »Is the RTI Act fulfilling its purpose? -Sonikka Loganathan
-The Hindu The Right to Information (RTI) Act was passed by Parliament in 2005, aiming to give people access to the records of the Central and State governments. It was a vital reform to help activists and individuals ensure transparency and accountability in governance. In a discussion moderated by Sonikka Loganathan, Anjali Bhardwaj and Saurav Das take stock of what’s working and the issues that appear to be weakening the law....
More »Expand the food safety net without any more delay -Reetika Khera
-The Hindu Expanding PDS coverage to account for the increase in population since 2011 is a no-brainer; the Government’s resistance to implementing a Supreme Court of India direction is baffling The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, through the Public Distribution System (PDS), provides a crucial safety net for roughly 800 million people. Even critics of the PDS appreciated its services during the COVID-19 lockdown. The humanitarian crisis resulting from the COVID-19 lockdown,...
More »Eminent Economists Recommend More Pensions, Maternity Benefits in Next Budget
-Newsclick.in In an open letter addressed to Nirmala Sitharaman, 51 eminent economists have flagged less contribution to NOAPS and the lack of action on ensuring maternity benefits. Several prominent economists have proposed to the Union finance ministry to increase social security pensions and make adequate provisions for maternity benefits in the 2023-24 Union Budget. In an open letter addressed to Union finance minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman, 51 eminent economists—including Abhijeet Singh (Stockholm School...
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