Over the past two decades, Maharashtra’s leaders and caretakers have carefully steered it from being India’s most progressive and forward-looking state to lying on the verge of becoming one of India’s most backward.This is no mean achievement. Mumbai, as is well known, contributes close to 40% of the nation’s direct taxes. In 2003-2004, Maharashtra’s net state domestic product was second only to Haryana’s and the gross domestic product was 13%...
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Food Security Act may float backup fund by Devika Banerji
The proposed Food Security Act is likely to float a fund to act as a backup in years of drought or flood. The contingency fund will facilitate direct cash transfer in place of foodgrain entitlements to families unable to access foodgrain due to reduced supply in the public distribution system.“We have suggested a fund for drought or flood, and when our production is hit. The fund will be with the...
More »PM panel report on NAC food plan soon by Zia Haq
An expert group appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to examine recommendations of the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council on a draft food security law will present its findings by December-end. The NAC, which steers the UPA government’s social agenda, had drafted a framework for the Food Security Bill, which was presented before the expert group on November 26.“We are looking at the implications of the proposed provisions of the food...
More »Scams deprive poor of health care, education: Pitroda
The Rs. 1.76 lakh-crore 2G spectrum scam has deprived the 400 million people below the poverty line (BPL) of their rightful share in healthcare and education, said Adviser to Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations Sam Pitroda.Addressing the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) convention here on Friday, Mr. Pitroda said freedom from poverty was not possible with scams siphoning off resources.Mr. Pitroda was conferred the INAE Lifetime...
More »Rural Poverty Report 2011
South Asia in general and India in particular have the dubious distinction of standing out for wrong reasons every time a new global poverty report is released. We not only have the largest number of underweight children, a very high maternal mortality rate and the world’s highest number of out of school children but we also top the global malnutrition chart. (See links below for more details) However the 2011 United...
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