Government apathy and “land grabbing” on the Ghaggar basin by builders with the alleged collusion of bureaucrats, politicians and engineers are responsible for the recent floods in Punjab and Haryana. A report of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) - “An analysis of flood disaster in the Ghaggar basin in July 2010” - suggests that the floods could be a wake up call for the affected states...

The in-service doctors’ wing of the state branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA, Punjab) has expressed concern over the alleged casual and non-serious approach of some government departments in supplying information sought under the RTI Act. In a press note issued here yesterday, chairman of the wing Dr DS Bhullar said doctors were facing difficulties in procuring information from various government departments in the health sector under the RTI Act. “Either...

In a bid to protect food grains from spoiling due to inadequate storage facilities, Punjab and Sind Bank has come up with an initiative to extend credit for the construction of rural godowns in Punjab. The Punjab Government is fully supporting this initiative and they have also got the green signal from the government of India. 'The bank will provide finance for construction of rural godowns of any storage capacity as per...

At a time when some of the poorest belts of India are suffering from a monsoon failure the government, has decided to let lakhs of tonnes of food grain turn inedible in the godowns rather than give it to the needy. Ironically, it has used the proposed National Food Security Act as an excuse to not distribute the grains to the needy. The Supreme Court in its last hearing had...

The Union government has been widely criticised for letting foodgrain rot in its godowns, while food prices soar and millions remain underfed. In its defence the government has spoken about the fiscal cost of selling these stocks. However, the underlying problem of excessive procurement and overstocking of foodgrain has not received as much attention. The government has claimed that official agencies have been mopping up over 99.5 per cent market...