The embarrassment of riches in grain stocks confronting the government is a problem of its own making. It is the product of ill-conceived policies on grain procurement, storage and distribution and mistimed decisions on opening and shutting of foodgrain exports. The grain stocks that have piled up as a consequence are far more than needed for any rational inventory and public distribution programme. Burgeoning food stocks pose problems of storage...
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Food subsidy bill shoots up by a whopping of Rs 34,738 cr by Prabha Jagannathan
The Centre's food subsidy bill, incurred mainly on account of reimbursemnet of economic costs to theFood Corporation of India for grain procurement, holding and transportation, has shot up by a whopping Rs 34,738 crore compared to the budgetary allocation for 2011-12. This is mainly due to government buys of a record foodgrain crop in the 2010-11 agricultural year (july-june).The original subsidy for the year was estimated at Rs 47,239.8 crore....
More »PDS foodgrain stock allocated to UP by Swati Mathur
The ministry of consumer affairs and public distribution has allocated of 5.28 lakh tonnes per month of wheat and rice to Uttar Pradesh for the fiscal year 2011-12. The assigned foodgrains have been made available to the department of food and civil supplies for distribution through the public distribution system (PDS). At present, UP has a total of 65.84 lakh below poverty line (BPL) and 40.94 lakh Antyodaya card holders. On...
More »The politics of foodgrain management by Himanshu
The empowered group of ministers (eGoM) recently decided on two important steps seen crucial for management of foodgrains. The first was the finalization of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and, secondly, extending the term of the Nandan Nilekani committee to explore the possibility of introducing cash transfers for delivering food subsidy directly to the poor. Another linked decision was to allow exports of wheat and rice to international markets. The...
More »‘Benefits of growing economy must reach rural areas’
Ahmedabad : In a five-page concept note that will be further expanded and which is expected to guide the government policy during the 12th Five-Year Plan for the state, 10 senior academics have pointed out the areas of concern in rural parts of Gujarat. They have put forward a proposal before the state. The paper is a result of a meeting chaired by IRMA chairman Professor Y K Alagh on the...
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