-Economic and Political Weekly Direct benefi t transfers in the form of cash cannot replace the supply of food through the public distribution system. Though it is claimed otherwise, DBT does not address the problems of identifying the poor ("targeting") and DBT in place of the PDS will expose the vulnerable to additional price fluctuation. Further, if the PDS is dismantled, there will also be no need or incentive for procurement...

-Livemint.com At a time when rural economy is badly in need of stimulus, the least the govt can do is increase spending on MGNREGA It is now officially acknowledged that the rural economy is heading for a distress situation. As if the fall in crop prices was not sufficient, the situation of farmers in India has been compounded by the vagaries of the monsoon with less than normal rainfall last year...

-The Times of India AHMEDABAD/GANDHINAGAR: PM Narendra Modi may be the most famous 'bachelor' from Gujarat, but the state is home to 6.29 lakh unheralded men above 30 and 40 years who are unmarried - according to Census 2011. And the majority of them are not single by choice. The number is a manifestation of the skewed sex ratio in Gujarat, which has 919 women per 1,000 men and only 886 girls...

-Livemint.com Farming community is bracing itself for income loss due to lower productivity from last year's deficient rainfall as well as lower price realization in the market Last month's untimely rains have only added to the long list of problems that the Indian farmer faces. Declining global and domestic prices have already led to a crisis in the agricultural sector. The farming community is bracing itself for income loss due to lower...

Those who compare India with China on equal basis, could be left with egg on their face if the new Global Food Policy Report 2014-15 is to be read and believed. The recent report from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) shows why India is still faring much worse as compared to its neighbours including China, in the areas of agriculture and food security. In 2012, China spent close to...