The debate over the National Food Security Act has been reduced to a circus for political parties, NGOs and the National Advisory Council to perform verbal calisthenics. The discussion on who is entitled, who is not entitled and who should be entitled has gone on for over two years. The discourse is deteriorating into informed nit-picking. The time for debate is over; the time for decision is overdue. Let us get...

-The Economic Times   A repeat of the 2008 rice crisis that led to riots in the developing world cannot be ruled out as the cost of other agricultural goods surge, a research group has warned. The International Rice Research Institute said the global rice market was delicately balanced as the grain had managed to avoid huge price rises thanks to stable weather in rice growing regions. The cost of wheat surged 121...

India has large wheat stocks already yet policy dictates they increase. In states like Punjab, Haryana, UP and Gujarat prices have fallen and are below the minimum support prices. This is a policy-induced outcome. A safe game in grains is fine, given the global politics of grain trade and the great ability of Indian politics to subsidise the wrong man in the vote bank — but how safe is safe? The...

-The Economic Times   Militants lobbed a grenade at a Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown at Sangaiporou area in Imphal West district but no casualty was reported, official sources said today. The militants lobbed the grenade at the godown at around 9 pm yesterday. The godown was guarded by central para military forces at Sangaiporou, about 7 km from here. The officer in charge of nearby Lamphel police station along with police personnel...

-PTI   The government is likely to give a legal right to food to both priority and general categories of the population under the proposed National Food Security Act, as suggested by the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC). There were differences between the NAC and the Rangarajan Committee on giving a legal right to food to general category, or above poverty line (APL) families. While the NAC had suggested giving a legal...