The Planning Commission's poverty straightjacket is but one of a series of obstacles faced by “aspirants” to the BPL status. Nothing illustrates the absurdity of current food policies more poignantly than the plight of Dablu Singh's family in Latehar district, Jharkhand. About two years ago Dablu, a young Adivasi who survived mainly from casual labour, fell from a roof at work and broke his back. He is paralysed for life and...
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Even Food Minister's home State misses deadline on Food Security Bill by Gargi Parsai
With only a few States having sent in their comments on the Food Ministry's draft National Food Security Bill, 2011, till the closing date on Friday, the Centre is planning to extend the date by a month or two, official sources said. Despite Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs K.V. Thomas having written to all States and Union Territories last week to send in their comments, not even his...
More »Munda raps Plan panel poverty index
-The Telegraph Chief minister Arjun Munda today slammed the poverty benchmark fixed by the Planning Commission. “The poverty yardstick is faulty and will put a poor state like Jharkhand at a great disadvantage,” the chief minister told The Telegraph. “How can a person survive on Rs 32 daily in urban areas and Rs 26 in rural areas? Munda asked and sought a central review for the sake of the poor. The fear in...
More »UID Aadhaar as if People Matter by SG Vombatkere
Media Reports The UID Aadhaar project planning and system design shortcomings and security risks at the national (or macro) level have been discussed elsewhere.1 The present article views the Aadhaar project at the system operational level, with practical considerations based on observed and probable functioning at the service delivery end. Consider the following report in a local daily, The Mysore Bugle: Food riots: PDS outlet vandalised Mysore: August 2, 2015—The PDS outlet in Ashokpuram...
More »Jairam asks Montek to revisit BPL cap by K Balchand
Objecting to the Planning Commission's poverty estimates and worried about the outcome of a case pending before the Supreme Court, the UPA government on Thursday underlined the need for reworking the BPL (Below the Poverty Line) cap in a bid to do away with any kind of cap, which has become a matter of controversy. Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh shot off an eight page e-mail letter to the Deputy Chairman...
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