NAC’s retrograde proposals fall short of creating a meaningful vision of food entitlement in the country The National Advisory Council (NAC) has finally come out with its proposals for the National Food Security Act. After months of deliberations within itself and with various government departments, the proposals will form the basis of the Act to be introduced in Parliament. However, a quick perusal of the proposals suggests that not only has NAC...

While the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council's proposal on enhanced food security hinges on higher procurement and increased reliance on the public distribution system, there is a strong view in the government that overworking a creaking system is a bad idea. In a paper circulated within the government, chief economic adviser to the finance ministry Kaushik Basu has argued that what is needed for food security to work is a reduced...

The genetic diversity of the plants that we grow and eat and their “wild relatives” could be lost forever, threatening future food security, unless special efforts are stepped up to not only conserve but also utilize them, especially in developing countries. This is one of the key messages of the second report on The State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, launched today by FAO.   The...

It is imperative that the committee constituted to look into charges of corruption in the Commonwealth Games should also include violations of labour laws within its purview. One of the more blatant and visible scams of the recently concluded Commonwealth Games relates to how the thousands of workers who worked on the games construction sites were denied minimum wages, safety equipment, housing and other benefits constitutionally due to them. In an interview...

In its final recommendations on the proposed Food Security Act, the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council finally has acknowledged the twin constraints of the budget and the availability of foodgrains by stopping short of “universalisation” of a government-guaranteed right to subsidised food. Given the NAC’s composition and remit, its recommendation is likely to influence the final draft. The NAC still leans in favour of spreading the targeting net too wide, and...