Acting with determination and firm action, it should be possible for India to step up its agricultural growth rate to 10 per cent. The 11th Five Year Plan seeks to achieve 4 per cent growth rate in agriculture by the end of the Plan period. The Planning Commission is working towards an overall 9 per cent to 10 per cent growth rate. But the target of 4 per cent growth rate is...
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Conflicting signals on inclusion of non-poor in PDS by Gargi Parsai
The Supreme Court's observation that the above the poverty line (APL) population should be kept out of the purview of the Public Distribution System (PDS) is in direct conflict with the National Advisory Council's (NAC) recent decision for universalisation of the system beginning with 150 yet-to-be-identified districts. At present APL beneficiaries are getting up to 12 kg of foodgrains per family. The quantum was revised to 15 kg just this...
More »It is a crime to allow food to rot; let the poor get it if you cannot distribute, Supreme Court tells Central government by J Venkatesan
Huge stock being wasted in the absence of adequate storage PDS benefit should go entirely to BPL Computerisation will eliminate pilferage, corruption Expressing serious concern over reports that a huge stock of foodgrains is being wasted in the absence of adequate storage, the Supreme Court has asked the Centre to consider releasing the grain to the deserving people rather than allowing it to rot. A Bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma asked...
More »More grain for APL beneficiaries by Gargi Parsai
The Centre has decided to enhance the allocation of foodgrains sold to the Above Poverty Line (APL) population to 15 kg per family per month for six months with immediate effect. There will be no enhancement of the Central issue price at which wheat or rice is provided to the APL. The Below Poverty Line (BPL) beneficiaries will continue to get 35 kg of foodgrains per family per month. This decision, taken...
More »In Punjab, wheat worth Rs 800 cr goes waste annually by Prabhjot Singh
Antiquated food storage methods and technologies have been costing India dearly. The chairman of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), Siraj Hussain, admits that food worth Rs 50,000 crore is wasted every year. This comes roughly to 20 per cent of the total food produced by the country. Though this figure includes food that is lost in processing, packaging, transportation and even marketing, yet a substantial portion of it is lost...
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