-Business Today "I want it back," says Sharada Begum. The 67-year-old woman is a member of one of the 100 households of Raghubir Nagar, a resettlement colony in west Delhi, chosen to participate in a pilot scheme that aimed to turn the public distribution system (PDS) on its head. Through all of 2011, these households had Rs 1,000 transferred every month to a woman member's bank account in lieu of rice, wheat,...

-IANS Food minister KV Thomas on Wednesday said the Union government was committed to ensuring food security of the people, particularly the vulnerable sections. He said the proposed food security bill aimed to give legal rights to cheaper foodgrains to 63.5% of the population. Around 180 million households -- 65 million below poverty line (BPL) and 115 million above poverty line (APL) category families -- get subsidised rations under the Public Distribution System through...

-The Statesman The state government is planning to engage self-help groups and co-operatives to run Ration Shops, state food and supply minister Jyotipriya Mullick said today at Writers’ Buildings.   He said a large number of ration dealers are involved in corruption and the state government will gradually abolish individual dealership for the smooth functioning of the ration system.   The state government is preparing a draft regarding this matter and will send...

-The Indian Express Marking their first step outside Chhattisgarh, three Class IX boys of Kottaguda village visited Visakhapatnam on an education tour in January. Among the few selected by their school, they were the first students from the south of river Palteru to make the journey. They were awed by the mighty sea and ships in the coastal Andhra town. Two of them instantly dreamt of becoming mariners. The two, Kaka...

-The Business Standard The state govt is set to redefine public distribution system by linking it with insurance smart cards Several experiments are taking place across the country to make the public distribution system (PDS) free of leakages. Chhattisgarh that has led these is set to mark a new precedent with its PDS going smart in the next three months. The state government has reached an agreement with the labour ministry to...