Congress President Sonia Gandhi has formally sent the proposed National Food Security bill to the government on behalf of theNational Advisory Council (NAC) that she chairs. Setting all doubts at rest about where she stands, the bill explicitly seeks that the subsidized rations be provided to at least 90% of rural population, and 50% of urban India. It urges the government to ensure that at least 46% and 28% of...
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Power centre or toothless body? by Akshat Kaushal
Why is the ruling party unable to pass 3 very important bills? The National Advisory Council draws its exalted status from the fact that UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi heads it. But its inability to get its way on three new Bills indicates that its influence is waning. A couple of weeks ago, the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) cleared the drafts of two significant Bills — the Food Security Bill and...
More »Food law delay talks grow as political differences persist by Prabha Jagannathan
The food ministry seems to have given up the hope of seeing the Food Security Bill passed into a law this financial year. But the delay in the rollout of one of the government's most ambitious welfare schemes will surely bring joy to mandarins at the North Block , who have been battling to rein in the government's expenditure. The food security law, which envisages subsidized grains for at least...
More »Govt ignores NAC on land bill
-The Asian Age The draft Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill being vetted by the Union law ministry maintains the 70:30 formula — a private developer has to acquire at least 70 per cent of the land, the remainder to be done by the government. This goes against the National Advisory Council proposal that the government acquire 100 per cent of land, while West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s stand is that...
More »Hawk On His Perch by Lola Nayar
Vinod Rai’s searing honesty in his job as the country’s CAG has the government in many a bind CAG Catch 1 2G Spectrum, 2010 The CAG audit over a six-year period from 2003 finds loopholes in the implementation of norms, leading to DoT allocating spectrum at 2001 prices. Estimated loss to exchequer: the now-household figure of Rs 1.76 lakh crore. Outcome Former telecom minister A. Raja, MP Kanimozhi, telecom and...
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