-PTI   National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) today said it has earmarked Rs 2,000 crore for building warehouses which will help in facilitating distribution of foodgrain to poor under the proposed Food Security Act. "Under RIDF ( Rural Infrastructure Development Fund), we have proposed to provide funds to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore exclusively for construction of scientific godowns across the country in this fiscal," NABARD Executive Director S...

-PTI Strongly opposing the draft National Food Security Bill, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa today said it was replete with "confusion and inaccuracy" and asked the Centre not to attempt encroaching into the domains of states. In a strongly-worded letter to PM Manmohan Singh, she said the Central government "should not attempt or be seen to attempt encroaching into the domains of the states" and sought exemption of Tamil Nadu from...

-Express News Service The government will introduce the Citizens’ Charter Bill in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said on Monday. Once introduced, the legislation, called The Right of Citizens for Time-Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Their Redressal, will be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee. The move for a separate Bill dealing with the issues covered under the Citizens’ Charter of Team Anna had been...

-Express News Service In a major step towards fulfilling the ruling Congress’s poll promise, the Union Cabinet today cleared the National Food Security Bill that seeks to provide legal entitlement of foodgrain to 75 per cent of the rural population and up to 50 per cent of the urban population. The Bill seeks to divide the eligible households into two broad categories — priority and general — wherein the “priority” group will...

The central government claims that allowing foreign direct investment into India’s retail sector will benefit small farmers, expand employment and lower food inflation. What has been the experience in India with organised retail so far and what has been the global experience with FDI? Sukhpal Singh (sukhpal@iegindia.org) is currently at the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi. After being under relentless attack for a week, the United Progressiv Alliance government was forced to...