The NAC's recommendations on food security measures take heed of the fact that PDS reform is dependent on the availability of enough foodgrains. Three major elements of the United Progressive Alliance government's commitment to provide food security to the people are reforming the public distribution system (PDS), raising foodgrain productivity and production, and creating a decentralised, modern warehousing system. Ideally, the reforms in the PDS should have come first for the availability...

Orissa government to save Rs 40 crore by cancelling them THE Orissa government has cancelled over 88,000 bogus ration cards detected during a two-and-a-half-month drive by the state’s food supplies department. Sources said more than 68,000 of the ghost cards detected in 27 of Orissa’s 30 districts between November 2009 and January this year belonged to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category; 9,877 such cards were under the Antyodyaya scheme aimed to...

While the government is spending thousands of crores of rupees in various welfare programmes, food subsidy and is even planning a food security law for the poor, the rural development ministry said poverty has come down in magnitude. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, minister of state for rural development Pradeep Jain said that irrespective of the method used (old or new), the percentage of the population below poverty...

Huge stock being wasted in the absence of adequate storage PDS benefit should go entirely to BPL Computerisation will eliminate pilferage, corruption Expressing serious concern over reports that a huge stock of foodgrains is being wasted in the absence of adequate storage, the Supreme Court has asked the Centre to consider releasing the grain to the deserving people rather than allowing it to rot. A Bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma asked...

The Centre has decided to enhance the allocation of foodgrains sold to the Above Poverty Line (APL) population to 15 kg per family per month for six months with immediate effect. There will be no enhancement of the Central issue price at which wheat or rice is provided to the APL. The Below Poverty Line (BPL) beneficiaries will continue to get 35 kg of foodgrains per family per month. This decision, taken...