-Newsclick.in The jacking up of prices of a universal intermediary while at the same time cutting down on subsidies that could potentially insulate segments of the working people from the acceleration of inflation is proof of the fact. The official wholesale price index for March 2021, which was released a few days ago shows it to be 7.39% higher than for March 2020. Such a high rate of inflation has not been...
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As thousands of migrants on move again, grain scheme for poor back -Harikishan Sharma
-The Indian Express The new version of the scheme does not, however, include an important component of last year's PM-GKAY – 1 kg pulses per month free to each household under the NFSA. With thousands of migrants headed back to their towns and villages amid lockdown-like restrictions in several big cities, the government on Friday said it was restarting the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) to provide additional 5 kg...
More »There is an urgent need for safeguards against unfair discontinuation of social benefits -Jean Drèze
-The Indian Express Temporary denial of food rations is one thing, cancellation of ration cards is far more serious. How many cards have been cancelled for lack of Aadhaar linkage? No one really knows. The Covid crisis has enhanced the dependence of poor people on social security schemes such as the public distribution system (PDS). Many of them, unfortunately, continue to have difficulties in accessing these schemes due to Aadhaar-related problems. Startling findings...
More »Amid anger over middlemen, Bengal’s rice bowl keeps ear out for Delhi farmer protests -Atri Mitra
-The Indian Express With 2.5 crore metric tonnes of paddy a year, and almost every family engaged in farming, East Burdwan district is the rice bowl of West Bengal. Burdwan: AMID much fanfare, in January this year, BJP president J P Nadda visited Mushali here to have lunch at the house of a marginal farmer. Following the meal, he announced the launch of the BJP’s ‘Krishak Suraksha Abhiyan’ and ‘Ek Mutho Chal’...
More »When Aadhaar-related problems lead to denial of rations and benefits: what the data show -Shreyas Sardesai
-The Indian Express Have people been denied foodgrains due to non-possession of an Aadhaar ID or because their Aadhaar biometric details didn't match? Here's data from a Lokniti-CSDS study The Supreme Court recently asked the Centre to respond to allegations made in a PIL by a Dalit woman from Jharkhand that 3 crore ration cards have been cancelled in the country because of the insistence on Aadhaar linkage and biometric authentication, and...
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