Madhya Pradesh is the only State in the country, which has linked MGNREGA, Treasury, Food Coupon, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the like with Unique Identity Number (UID) card. Over four lakh registrations have been made in the State and 1.61 lakh cards have been distributed. Initially the work of preparing Unique Identity Cards was underway in five districts _ Hoshangabad, Harda, Dewas, Shajapur and Burhanpur _. The first phase work in...

An Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on Food is scheduled to meet today to discuss the proposed National Food Security Bill and take a view on the suggestions made by the Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council (NAC) and Rangarajan Committee. According to sources, the Food Ministry will place the reports of both the NAC and the Prime Minister's panel headed by PMEAC Chairman C Rangarajan before the EGoM for guidance. The Rangarajan...

A rapid assessment of the effects of Endosulfan on cashew plantations, ecology, biodiversity and the people in Kasaragod, conducted by V.S. Vijayan of Salim Ali Foundation, has surmised that the human sufferings and loss of biodiversity caused by the aerial spraying of Endosulfan by the State-owned Plantation Corporation of Kerala in Kasaragod district would qualify as ‘State-sponsored crime'. The study said the State was duty-bound to provide total support to the...

The Prime Minister-appointed panel on Food and Public Distribution System (F&PDS) headed by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia has suggested that the current system of distributing PDS foodgrain per household should be replaced with per capita allocation. According to National Sample Survey (NSS) data, lower income households have more members per family than higher income households, the panel has said in its draft report. Justifying its suggestion as a “progressive...

Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to link Aadhaar, the 12-digit number issued by UIDAI, to the subsidised foodgrain scheme. The state government thinks the new arrangement will totally eliminate fake Beneficiaries of the subsidised foodgrain scheme. MP has cancelled lakhs of bogus ration cards over the last couple of years that were proving to be a drain on the public distribution system. Commissioner, Food and Civil Supplies, Ajit Kesari, who is...