-The Statesman   Koraput (Odisha): In order to foster greater food security among the community, pressure groups have been formed at village, gram panchayat and block level in Kundra block of Koraput district. The group will be supported by well-known NGO, CYSD. "The main role of the pressure groups is to strengthen the advocacy process and facilitate better access to the Public Distribution System (PDS).These groups conduct meeting and interaction regularly to discuss...

-The Hindu The total number of ration cards is more than the number of households in Telangana Telengana: It's indeed ironical that the total number of ration cards is more than the number of households in Telangana! With the government repeatedly making it clear that bogus ration cards would be weeded out, officials in districts have begun the exercise. Here is a status report on one of the most difficult tasks undertaken...

-Down to Earth Targeted efforts to make food systems more efficient can also reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture Basic calorie need of 3 billion extra people can be met if food systems are made more efficient through targeted efforts, suggests a new report. What's more, the targeted efforts will also help reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture. The report by researchers from the University of Minnesota, and published in the peer reviewed...

-Outlook India To the social subsidy whiners, please check corporate write-offs column The TV anchor asked eagerly of Arun Jaitley whether he would take hard decisions or, in the case of a bad drought, revert to loan waivers and (obviously wasteful) subsidies. The finance minister replied that it depended on the situation as it unfolded but he hoped he wouldn't have to return to such steps. "We hope so too," said...

-The Indian Express Modi on July 5 made clear his intention to retain and push the schemes. In a decisive push to the UPA government's Aadhaar project and Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, his office has directed the Planning Commission to collect data on these schemes in 300 priority districts and submit a status report by August 15. According to government sources, the directive was issued...