Situation alarming: More than one-third population hit by drought The country is facing severe drought for the second consecutive year. Conservative estimates from official sources show that over a quarter of rural habitations are facing drinking water scarcity. Although both India Meteorological Department and Skymet have predicted a more than normal rainfall during June-September, 2016, the water storage available in 91 major reservoirs of the country has declined from 22 percent...
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Digitization of Ration Cards in 26 states to plug PDS leakage -Dipak K Dash
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In significant progress made by states to check leakage of foodgrains under the public distribution system (PDS), 26 states and Union Territories have completed 100% Digitization of Ration Cards in the past one year. Six states have digitized the supply chain for better monitoring of grain moving from godowns to the doorstep of consumers. According to food ministry sources, the overall Digitization of Ration Cards across...
More »Goa racing to meet Food Security Act deadline -Joaquim Fernandes
-The Times of India PANAJI: With the deadline for the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in Goa fast-approaching (March 15), the government is scrambling to complete the verification of beneficiary data, both for the electronic public distribution system (e-pds) and also for the NFSA. Civil supplies minister Dayanand Mandrekar told TOI that if Goa does not implement the NFSA on time, the state risks losing the PDS quota of...
More »Digitization seen reducing food theft in India’s PDS system- Kartikay Mehrotra
-Live Mint In the past year, ration cards are being replaced with smartcards that can track food doled out through the PDS system New Delhi: Mohanlal Kapoor, a street vendor in north India, holds a card entitling him to subsidized food for his wife and four children. To get supplies, the Kapoors must battle an estimated 15 million families in their state toting similar pieces of paper that they're not entitled...
More »KV Thomas, Food Minister interviewed by Sanjeeb Mukherjee
-The Business Standard For the first time, the Union Budget for 2013-14 made a provision of Rs 10,000 crore for rolling out UPA-2 most ambitious social security programme--the proposed Food Security Law. This is over Rs 80,000 crore as normal food subsidy. Food Minister K V Thomas tells Sanjeeb Mukherjee that the Budget provision of Rs 90,000 crore as food subsidy will be enough to roll out the Bill in its...
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