Following the recommendations of the Shanta Kumar Committee report on restructuring of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), there are signs that the Central Government is in a hurry to replace the Public Distribution System (PDS) with cash transfers. The Government's intention has been revealed in two official letters (one dated 10 February 2015 and another dated 11 February 2015) that were sent from the Joint Secretary at Department of...
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Goa racing to meet Food Security Act deadline -Joaquim Fernandes
-The Times of India PANAJI: With the deadline for the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in Goa fast-approaching (March 15), the government is scrambling to complete the verification of beneficiary data, both for the electronic public distribution system (e-pds) and also for the NFSA. Civil supplies minister Dayanand Mandrekar told TOI that if Goa does not implement the NFSA on time, the state risks losing the PDS quota of...
More »Smriti Irani okays national database of school, university certificates -Akshaya Mukul
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: HRD minister Smriti Irani has given the go-ahead to National Academic Depository (NAD) scheme. Conceived during UPA-2, the scheme seeks to create an online national database of board and university certificates and is being implemented by Central Board of Secondary Education on a pilot basis. Last week, Irani was briefed in detail about the NAD project. She said it was a useful scheme and should...
More »Digitization seen reducing food theft in India’s PDS system- Kartikay Mehrotra
-Live Mint In the past year, ration cards are being replaced with smartcards that can track food doled out through the PDS system New Delhi: Mohanlal Kapoor, a street vendor in north India, holds a card entitling him to subsidized food for his wife and four children. To get supplies, the Kapoors must battle an estimated 15 million families in their state toting similar pieces of paper that they're not entitled...
More »Chouhan's Madhya Pradesh steals Congress’ direct benefit transfer thunder
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: As the Centre stitches together its plan to roll out the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme, BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh seems all set to achieve full coverage of some benefits through the scheme. The DBT scheme has been touted as a game-changer for the ruling Congress party in the lead-up to the general elections in 2014. Ironically, a BJP-ruled state seems to have taken the lead to...
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