Liquor baron Ponty Chadha’s mercurial rise is all ‘Maya’ A reclusive liquor baron may seem like an anomaly in these never-ending good times. But Gurdeep Singh Chadha—better known by the moniker Ponty Chadha—fits the bill. Often called “Mayawati’s financier”, the 57-year-old Ponty has been making large (if silent) waves for the political patronage he enjoys in Uttar Pradesh. Any bottle of liquor sold in India’s most populous state goes through his...
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State Food Ministers express reservations about food Bill by Gargi Parsai
Even as the Centre prepares to implement its proposed national Food Security Act, States have expressed their unhappiness about the contours of the Bill, particularly the cap on the number of beneficiaries which will automatically reduce their allocation of subsidised foodgrains. Requirement of funds, more foodgrains for distribution under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), and paucity of storage capacity was a common refrain during the two-day conference of State Food...
More »Minister reiterates State's position on Food Security Bill
-The Hindu Tamil Nadu Food Minister R. Kamaraj has reiterated the stand of the State that it should be exempted from the Food Security Bill piloted by the Central Government. Speaking at a conference of the Food Ministers in New Delhi on Wednesday, Mr.Kamaraj pointed out that the Universal Public Distribution System (UPDS), being implemented in Tamil Nadu for several decades, covered the “entire population” of the State and “there is no...
More »India's global pharmacy role threatened by EU pact
-AP Efforts by India and the European Union to strengthen trade are threatening India's ability to deliver lifesaving medicines to the world's poorest, analysts say as the two sides push through protracted negotiations on a free-trade pact. India's prime minister and top EU officials are hoping their summit Friday in New Delhi helps move beyond disagreements over issues like European labor market limits and Indian duties on cars. But health industry workers and...
More »Kerala opposes food security Bill by Sandip Das
Kerala on Wednesday raised serious apprehensions on the effectiveness of the proposed national food security law as it could remove large number of poor families from the beneficiary list besides putting enormous financial burden on the state. Shibu Baby John, food and civil supplies minister, Kerala said the centre must apply separate socio-economic critieria for choosing beneficiaries under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) as because of better human index of...
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