-The Economic Times An Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on drought, headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, on Wednesday approved Rs 511-crore assistance for Rajasthan, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh - the states affected by floods and droughts in 2012. Further, an additional grant of Rs 256 crore was given to Maharashtra for rejuvenation of orchards. However, the high-level committee didn't take a decision on extending the duty-free import of oil cakes for...

-The Hindu Business Line   As the Food Security Bill awaits Parliament clearance, India fears that implementation of obligations under the Bill may lead to breach of farm subsidy limits fixed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and attract penalties if some global rules are not amended. New Delhi is, therefore, scouting for support at the WTO in seeking an amendment to the Agreement on Agriculture (AOA) to remove limits on public stockholding...

-The Economic Times The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has said the government fixed the minimum support price of food grain crops in a skewed manner and also faulted it for following inadequate norms on buffer food grains to meet contingencies during the audit period of 2006-07 and 2011-12. In a report titled 'Storage Management and Movement of Food Grains in Food Corporation of India', tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the CAG...

-The Hindu   Bill represents a shift from welfare-based approach to a rights-based one:Food Minister Amid the Opposition uproar in the Lok Sabha over allegations of corruption in the UPA government, the National Food Security Bill was taken up for consideration on Monday. When, after frequent disruptions, the House reassembled at 3 p.m., Girija Vyas, who was in the Chair, announced that the House would take up for further consideration the motion moved by...

-The Indian Express The Congress's bill could end up sponsoring the NDA's campaigns A good thing about the logjam in Parliament, it has to be said, is that it has prevented the ill-advised food security bill from being passed. It would, though, be naive on our part to presume the BJP stalled Parliament - the Congress's blatant abuse of the CBI process was a big reason for this - only because it...