-The Hindu   NFIW criticises the approach for targeted PDS and cash transfers The National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) fears that the government plans to do away with the public distribution system (PDS) and move to cash transfers in lieu of foodgrains to the poor through the proposed National Food Security Bill. Demanding that the proposed Bill provide for universal entitlements, decentralised production and procurement, the NFIW has criticised the approach for...

Less than a week after India announced a record harvest, Hindustan Times has learnt that the nation’s main grain-buying agency is running out of money for its massive nationwide purchase operation. Over the last month, the state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) has twice stopped payments to state governments, various grain-purchasing agencies and rice millers who buy wheat and rice, the main food crops, from millions of farmers, a senior...

The ministry of consumer affairs and public distribution has allocated of 5.28 lakh tonnes per month of wheat and rice to Uttar Pradesh for the fiscal year 2011-12. The assigned foodgrains have been made available to the department of food and civil supplies for distribution through the public distribution system (PDS). At present, UP has a total of 65.84 lakh below poverty line (BPL) and 40.94 lakh Antyodaya card holders. On...

States which do not lift their special allocation of food grains will lose their quota, warned Minister of State (Independent Charge) K.V. Thomas here on Wednesday. In his meeting with the Food Ministers of seven States, the Minister said the lifting of 15 million tonnes of specially allocated food grains since January was only 40 per cent in these States. “I have told the State representatives that if the lifting is...

The empowered group of ministers (eGoM) recently decided on two important steps seen crucial for management of foodgrains. The first was the finalization of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and, secondly, extending the term of the Nandan Nilekani committee to explore the possibility of introducing cash transfers for delivering food subsidy directly to the poor. Another linked decision was to allow exports of wheat and rice to international markets. The...