The Arjun Munda government’s headlong drive to distribute new ration cards among 50 lakh families across the state is turning out to be an organised chaos, with acute crunch of application forms and clueless public representatives fielded for the job. While a three-day, statewide camp kicked off today to arm every family in rural and urban pockets with ration cards that entitle them to subsidised Foodgrain, kerosene, et al, inadequate number...

According to the third advance estimate, India’s Foodgrain production in the current farm year (to end in June 2011) will be a record 235.88 million tonnes, including an all-time high wheat output of 84.27 million tonnes against 81.47 million tonnes projected earlier. Ahead of the wheat harvest, the country had buffer Foodgrain stock of 47 million tonnes at the start of 2011 in the central pool. A buffer close to double...

Ahead of a crucial meeting, on the coming Monday, of a group of ministers to finalise the Food Security Bill, a consensus is emerging on a dual system of subsidy. This is that families below the poverty line (BPL) be given food subsidy through direct cash transfer. And, those above the poverty line (APL) be distributed Foodgrains at a level equal to the minimum support price (MSP) offered to farmers, which...

India is growing more wheat than it ever was. While other leading wheat producing countries like China and US are witnessing a decline in output, the country has stood as an exception with an estimated record production of 84.27 million tonnes of the staple Foodgrain this year. Russia, Canada and Australia, too, are witnessing a downturn. “India is gaining internationally in the wheat production,” S S Singh, Project Director of Directorate of Wheat...

What is the benefit when godowns are full and people are starving? ‘People who starve are also citizens of this country…they cannot be denied Foodgrains' ‘How can the Planning Commission justify such a meagre amount to determine BPL status?' The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the Centre's approach to eradication of malnutrition and its failure to take steps to prevent starvation deaths in certain pockets of the country. A Bench comprising Justice Dalveer Bhandari...