The goal of food for all can be achieved only through greater and integrated attention to production, procurement, preservation and public distribution. The President, in her address to Parliament on June 4, 2009, announced: “My Government proposes to enact a new law — the National Food Security Act — that will provide a statutory basis for a framework which assures food security for all. Every family below the poverty line in...

The National Advisory Council likely to approve on Wednesday the draft of the National Food Security Bill. The scheme will be rolled out in the 150 poorest districts first on the basis of a `notional universalisation.’ Rejecting the recommendation put forward by the EGoM, NAC, at its meeting held on July 1, settled for the distribution of 35 kg of grain, either wheat or rice, to every poor household, but...

Wheat to be sold to traders at Rs.12.50 a kg; decision on sugar deferred  The Centre will release five million tonnes of wheat from its pool in the open market to enhance availability and maintain a check on prices. The wheat, to be released in July, would be available directly from depots for traders and retail buyers at a reserved price of approximately Rs.12.54 a kg. Wheat is selling in Delhi...

The government today decided to release five million tonnes of wheat in the open market and retain zero duty on sugar and wheat imports in the wake of soaring food prices. The empowered group of ministers (EGOM), headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, decided to offload wheat under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) at prices lower than the market price. Wheat will be sold from the government godowns between July...

The right to food has gained significant recognition in Africa, Asia, Latin America and South Asia, but more national institutional reforms are needed to ensure that the fight against hunger is rooted in legal mechanisms, a United Nations expert has said. “Boosting food production should not be confused with realizing the human right to food,” said Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food. “If the international...