At a time when some of the poorest belts of India are suffering from a monsoon failure the government, has decided to let lakhs of tonnes of food grain turn inedible in the Godowns rather than give it to the needy. Ironically, it has used the proposed National Food Security Act as an excuse to not distribute the grains to the needy. The Supreme Court in its last hearing had...

The Union government has been widely criticised for letting foodgrain rot in its Godowns, while food prices soar and millions remain underfed. In its defence the government has spoken about the fiscal cost of selling these stocks. However, the underlying problem of excessive procurement and overstocking of foodgrain has not received as much attention. The government has claimed that official agencies have been mopping up over 99.5 per cent market...

Bandicoots eat up over 50 lakh tonnes in FCI Godowns, says BJP BJP delegation, led by party national secretary K. Laxman, visit Godowns at Vanagapally State not releasing foodgrains as it wants middlemen to benefit: Laxman Bandicoots have eaten up over 50 lakh tonnes of foodgrains stored in the Godowns of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), according to the revelations of a BJP delegation, led by party national secretary K. Laxman, that...

Expressing concern at a large quantity of foodgrains rotting in the FCI Godowns across the country, the CPI-M today demanded universal coverage of the people under the Public Distribution System (PDS) for proper utilisation of available food stocks. The government should consider universal coverage of the people under the PDS by dilution the criterian of APL or BPL for not only full utilisation of available foodgrains, but also to rein in...

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has responded to Supreme Court's recommendations of distributing grains to the poor for free instead of letting them rot. "It's not possible to implement the Supreme Court's order," the minister said.   On August 13, the apex court had asked the Centre to consider free distribution of foodgrain to the hungry poor of the country instead of allowing it to rot in Food Corporation of India...