A report by a parliamentary standing committee entrusted to examine the National Food Security Bill, 2011 has revived the debate on what measures India must take to end its abysmal track record of hunger and malnutrition, (See several links given below) despite successive years of high growth and record grain procurement. The draft legislation is likely to be debated in the upcoming session of Parliament, even as the recent Jaipur...

-Economic and Political Weekly According to data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau, the number of reported cognisable crimes has increased in most years between 2001 and 2011; the increase has been much faster of crimes against women. There has been a substantial decadal increase in reported rape cases. More than 85% of offenders in rape cases are known to the survivors. Please click here for the data. ...

-Economic and Political Weekly The Twelfth Plan proposes a fundamental change in the principles, approach and strategies of water management in India. This paradigm shift was the outcome of a new and inclusive process of plan formulation, which saw the coming together of practitioners and professionals from government, academia, industry and civil society to draft the Plan. For more, please click here     ...

-Economic and Political Weekly Despite many valid recommendations put forward by relevant committees as well as by independent researchers, the public distribution system continues to suffer from several inherent and systemic fl aws. Instead of addressing the problems encountered by the present system, policymakers are again attempting to resort to another version of targeted provisioning. By assessing important implications relating to various dimensions of the proposed National Food Security Bill 2011,...

The total expenditure on central schemes for the poor and on the major subsidies exceeds the states' share of central taxes. These schemes are chronic bad performers due to a culture of immunity in public administration and weakened local governments. Arguing that the poor should be trusted to use these resources better than the state, a radical redirection with substantial direct transfers to individuals and complementary decentralisation to local governments...