The new food security schemes point to the capacity of agriculture to produce more when the incentives are right. Supply of cheap foodgrains will trigger demand for other food products, which the farm sector will have to meet. The many rural development programmes in operation have complex effects on the rural economy. Programmes such as Bharat Nirman are expected to improve connectivity of markets, provide access to more efficient sources of...
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Bihar farmers upset over slow pace of paddy procurement
Rice cultivators in Bihar are upset over the slow pace of procurement of their produce by the Centre, as well state agencies. Against a target of procuring 12 lakh tonnes of paddy this year, just about 3.5 lakh tonnes have been purchased so far, sources in state food and civil supplies department said. The procurement process will end by March 30. "I worked hard to grow paddy in my field. I pray to...
More »Draft food bill near completion,to cover 70% population: Thomas
The government today said the draft Food Security Bill, which entitles nearly two-thirds of the population to subsidised foodgrains, was almost ready. The Bill will legally entitle up to 70% of population to subsidised foodgrains as against the NAC's proposal to cover 75%. "We are going to introduce the Food Security Bill, almost 65-70% of the population are going to get the benefit," Food Minister K V Thomas said at the National...
More »In agriculture’s pyrrhic victory, a call to caution by RN Bhaskar
There’s both good news and bad news on the food front. The good news is that wheat, maize and pulses production during the current year will be the highest that India has seen. Wheat production was expected to be high, thanks to the twin advantages of a high procurement price —- higher than international prices —- and favourable weather conditions. But pulses production too has zoomed, because of the soaring prices in the...
More »CAG finds flaw in PDS beneficiary list
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has found that the Food and Civil Supplies Department of the State neither conducted any survey for identification of beneficiaries nor followed the survey conducted by the Panchayat and Rural Development Department in 1998-99, to select the beneficiaries of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) for the Public Distribution System (PDS). The status as of September 2007, as per the BPL census of 2002,...
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