The National Advisory Council, headed by Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi, may have grudgingly settled for a much less ambitious National Food Security Act than previously envisaged. But a proactive Sonia now plans to push for a full-fledged ministry of food security, carving it out of the agriculture ministry headed by NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Sources said she had been advised by stakeholders in the party and outside that the ministry of...
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Jairam picked activists for POSCO panel, their 3-1 stand is no surprise by Amitabh Sinha
The 3-1 conclusion of the POSCO panel that all clearances to the Rs 50,000-crore project be scrapped should haven’t come as a surprise to at least one person: Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh. The panel’s report now wends its way through the Ministry’s official expert committees. For, Ramesh had handpicked these members and each of the three who opposed the project has, in the past, taken clearly stated positions on infrastructure projects,...
More »Poor get less food from Sonia's NAC
The National Advisory Council, headed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, on Saturday settled for a much less ambitious National Food Security Act than it had previously agreed to. Scaling down its recommendations, it decided to recommend subsidised foodgrains for 46% of the rural Indian population and 28% of the urban population. The pruning of the recommendation had an immediate fallout, with the NAC member Jean Dreaze, face of the right-to-food security campaign,...
More »NAC-govt divide surfaces at think tank's meet by Nitin Sethi
The rift between the National Advisory Council (NAC) members and the government, especially the Planning Commission and the PMO, came out in the open on Saturday with Jean Dreze dissenting against the pruning of the think tank's earlier proposals on National Food Security Bill. The simmering anger among members of the council, who have also spearheaded the Right-to-Food campaign, had been palpable over the past four months with the government wanting...
More »Why rich Indians are malnourished too by Chandra Bhan Prasad
India is the world's 10th largest economy with a GDP of $3.57 trillion and $3,100 as per capita income. Sub-Saharan Ethiopia has the 79th largest economy, with $900 as per capita income. It's far behind India. Yet, Ethiopia and a handful of other sub-Saharan nations beat India in one of the most critical social indices – 35% children in sub-Sahara are malnourished and the figure jumps to 47% for India. Does...
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