AGRICULTURE minister Sharad Pawar has launched smart cards in Haryana and Chandigarh as a pilot project aimed at streamlining the public distribution system (PDS). Smart cards will replace paper cards and the subsidised ration bought at fair price shops (FPS) will be recorded online. The smart card will have biometric identification details of the beneficiary like fingerprints and iris scans. A smart card will also record the amount of stock a...

The NAC's recommendations on food security measures take heed of the fact that PDS reform is dependent on the availability of enough foodgrains. Three major elements of the United Progressive Alliance government's commitment to provide food security to the people are reforming the public distribution system (PDS), raising foodgrain productivity and production, and creating a decentralised, modern warehousing system. Ideally, the reforms in the PDS should have come first for the availability...

Underpressure from the states, the central government has agreed to bear a higher burden of the cost of implementing the Right to Education. The Centre’s share of the financial burden will be at 68%, a sharp rise from the sharing pattern of 55:45 in the current year and the proposed 50:50 from 2011-12 . The new sharing pattern has been approved by the Expenditure Finance Committee on Wednesday. The ministry...

Uttar Pradesh has another reason to hang its head in shame. In the latest survey report released by the ministry of health, under the National Rural Health Mission, UP has been ranked the lowest among all states, with a shortfall of over 5800 rural healthcare centres. According to the data, while states like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir have bettered their performances in the rural health sector --...

Acting with determination and firm action, it should be possible for India to step up its agricultural growth rate to 10 per cent. The 11th Five Year Plan seeks to achieve 4 per cent growth rate in agriculture by the end of the Plan period. The Planning Commission is working towards an overall 9 per cent to 10 per cent growth rate. But the target of 4 per cent growth rate is...