A group of ministers has approved a draft food bill, considered the successor to the blockbuster rural jobs scheme, after incorporating most suggestions made by a panel headed by Sonia Gandhi, a minister said today. The bill, which will give the poor the right to subsidised foodgrain entitlements, has accepted “most” suggestions of the National Advisory Council (NAC) and deviations, if any, are “minor”, said K.V. Thomas, the minister of state...

Rise to the occasion, PM tells Railways Ministry yet to finalise Food Security Bill draft Poor storage and movement of foodgrains are a matter of worry for the second consecutive year to the UPA government. Procurement during the current rabi marketing season has already exceeded last year's level. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution is bothered about the likely scenario of destruction of procured foodgrains during what is being described...

The Government proposal to make cash transfer in place of food grain to poor families has drawn mixed reactions. Raghuvir Nagar on the western outskirts of Delhi has of late turned into a turf for a war between two schools of thought. The war has not been limited to campaigns and debates and purportedly escalated to the level of allegations, even intimidation, so much so that the Government of the national...

* It requires altering the distribution pattern * Permission from Centre needed for procuring additional quantum Implementation of the government decision to enhance the quantity of rice distributed through Public Distribution System outlets may be delayed as altering the distribution pattern followed by the previous administration and meeting the requirement as announced by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy is an arduous task. Immediately after Mr Rangasamy took charge as the Chief Minister on May...

In a bid to smoothen the distribution of foodgrain across the country, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has approved the developing of a National Foodgrain Movement Plan that will tie up with the UPA government’s ambitious food security law, sources said. To be implemented by the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution, in collaboration with Indian Railways, the plan was recently discussed between the PM and MoS, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public...