An Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on Food is scheduled to meet today to discuss the proposed National Food Security Bill and take a view on the suggestions made by the Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council (NAC) and Rangarajan Committee. According to sources, the Food Ministry will place the reports of both the NAC and the Prime Minister's panel headed by PMEAC Chairman C Rangarajan before the EGoM for guidance. The Rangarajan...
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PM’s panel suggests per person PDS allocation by Ravish Tiwari
The Prime Minister-appointed panel on Food and Public Distribution System (F&PDS) headed by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia has suggested that the current system of distributing PDS foodgrain per household should be replaced with per capita allocation. According to National Sample Survey (NSS) data, lower income households have more members per family than higher income households, the panel has said in its draft report. Justifying its suggestion as a “progressive...
More »Health plan success may lead to wider spread for more schemes by Amiti Sen
The government is examining the possibility of turning its two important social sector programmes into universal schemes covering the unorganised sector in phases, taking a cue from the successful extension of a health insurance plan to 23 million poor families. The labour ministry will prepare a feasibility plan together with the rural and finance ministries that run the old age pension scheme for the below poverty line people and the Aam...
More »Govt to take a call on health cover for NREGs workers today by Chetan Chauhan
Continuing with its social sector agenda, the Union Cabinet is expected to consider a proposal to provide health insurance to all workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The Cabinet will on Thursday consider a proposal to extent the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana to MGNREGS. The scheme, as of now, is applicable only below the poverty line families. Under the scheme implemented in Public Private Partnership mode,...
More »EGoM to decide on grain export, food bill on Monday by Sanjeeb Mukherjee
The empowered group of ministers (EGoM) expected to meet on Monday is expected to take a view on an agriculture ministry proposal to export wheat and rice. The proposal is not backed by the food ministry, which wants to take into consideration the interest of consumers, and its own compulsions under the proposed food security bill, before moving on exports under an open general licence. Officials said the food ministry is...
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