-The Hindustan Times The union cabinet has cleared the National Food Security Bill that seeks to provide rice at Rs 3, wheat at Rs 2 and coarse grains at Re 1 per kg to over half of India's 1.2 billion population. The bill seeks to cover 75% of the rural population and 50% of urban households and proposes the right of every individual to 7 kg of foodgrain. The cabinet didn't take up...

-Press Information Bureau   Government has said that there is no definite findings indicating shortage of farm labourers due to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Since MGNREGA is a demand driven scheme, backed by legislation, State Governments are obliged to provide up to 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household for doing unskilLED manual work, if demanded, at any time of the...

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has asked Union food minister KV Thomas to iron out last-mile hurdles in the way of the flagship food bill before it is brought to the Cabinet again on Sunday. A lack of consensus in the Cabinet — which must clear the bill before it can be placed in Parliament — LED to it being stalLED last Tuesday. The Congress chief, who had overseen the bill’s drafting...

The government is going to make a final attempt to push Sonia Gandhi’s pet legislation, the Food Security Bill, at the Cabinet meeting this Sunday. Cabinet approval is vital if the Bill is to be introduced in Parliament within the few remaining days of this session. This could possibly be the last session before Assembly elections in five states. Food Minister K V Thomas told Business Standard, “We are trying to introduce...

Dalit political parties irked by Centre's unwillingness to allocate the entire 12.5-acre India United Mill plot for the proposed Dr BR Ambedkar memorial stepped up agitations across the city on Thursday. Hundreds of activists of Republican Party of India (Athavale) teamed up with another Dalit outfit, the Republican Sena and staged a blockade on the Eastern Express Highway, throwing traffic out of gear. The protesters burnt effigies of Prime Minister...