-Tehelka While Delhi government says it will eliminate leakages in the supply chain of food distribution, activists say it will take away the rights of the poor who require food entitlements rather than cash When Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit fumbled a bit in front of 5,000 people while delivering her speech at the launch of Annshree Yojna, the audience let out a collective gasp and began murmuring loudly. Dikshit had...

-Frontline Farmers protest against the Central clearance for coal bed methane exploration in Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu, as they fear it will devastate agriculture in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts.  THE woes of the delta farmers of Tamil Nadu are far from over. While the Cauvery tangle continues unresolved, they fear the proposed multi-crore project for commercial exploration and exploitation of coal bed methane (CBM) in the Mannargudi block of Tiruvarur district will prove...

-The Times of India Crest Cash transfers have been described as the world's favourite new anti-poverty device. As India gets set to implement it, TOI-Crest finds out if the politics will ever be divorced from the cash The UPA government's ambitious plan to introduce direct cash transfers (DCT) by January 1, 2013 reflects both the political desperation of a beleaguered government and the urgent need to reform India's inefficient and corrupt public...

-Pratirodh.com Hundreds of the victims of  failed 'cash transfer' experiment in Kotakism met the Rural Development minister Jairam Ramesh at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi where a three-day dharna began on Wednesday demanding a more inclusive 'Food Security Act'.   More than 1000 people from all over the country are participating in the dharna which has been organised by 'Right To Food Campaign'.   Victims of failed cash transfer experiment shared their experiences with the...

-The Economic Times The parliamentary standing committee on food is giving a final shape to the UPA-II government's ambitious Food Security Bill. It is likely to submit its report during this session which is likely to end on December 21. Committee chairman Vilas Muttemwar summoned senior food ministry officials on Monday to study the availability of grains and the ministry's readiness to roll out the project. The government, however, is likely to present...