The global cost of disasters is growing: The economic burden of disasters is intensifying. While the direct costs of disasters averaged $70–80 billion a year between 1970 and 2000, between 2001 and 2020 these annual costs grew significantly to $180–200 billion. But the real cost is far higher. Disaster costs …
Left parties submit the papers to Prime Minister Leaders of four Left parties met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday to ask the government to take immediate measures to bring in food security legislation in this budget session that would provide for a universal public distribution system; ensure 35 kg …
Survey says economy to revive from difficult times this year A year after India's economic growth is headed to a record ten-year low growth of 5% in 2012-13, economic advisers in the Finance Ministry expect the economy to recover to 6.1 - 6.7% in 2013-14. The Economic Survey, 2012-13, presented …
Read text of Pranab Mukherjee's speech during budget session of the Parliament. He touched upon various issues like the slow economic growth, growth in agriculture and allied sectors to India's role at Doha climate conference & called for greater transparency in governance. Read text of Pranab Mukherjee's speech during budget …
Emphasising that the money involved in giving food subsidy should be treated as high priority, Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Friday said the subsidy should not be linked with fiscal deficit. “The money involved in food subsidy can be treated as high priority and should not be …
Current grains allocation, AAY entitlement will be protected under the Bill, he assures States Responding to concerns expressed by several States on a possible cut in food grains allocation under the National Food Security Bill, the Centre on Thursday gave an assurance that the current allocation will be protected and …
While the UPA government is seeking to push its ambitious food guarantee law in the forthcoming Budget Session of Parliament, many state governments on Wednesday objected to several provisions in the proposed Bill with Tamil Nadu seeking an outright exemption citing lack of clarity in the Bill. A meeting of …
The Union government’s direct cash transfer scheme linked to the Unique Identification (UID) number was launched with much fanfare in January with pilots in five districts of Rajasthan. The government believes this initiative is a game changer, which will successfully plug leakages in delivering entitlements to the poor and pluck …
Indian households purchased much more food items through the public distribution system (PDS) in 2009-10 than they did five years ago, the 66th National Sample Survey has indicated, raising doubts over the effectiveness of the government’s new direct cash transfer system over a large base. Greater penetration and higher use …
Recommends a mandatory coverage of 67 per cent of population for subsidised grains The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food has recommended a mandatory coverage of 67 per cent of the country’s population for subsidised rice, wheat and millets under the National Food Security Bill with a reduced and uniform monthly …
Read this report on the on the much-debated Food Security Bill, 2011 presented by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution. The Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (2012-13) present this Twenty Seventh Report (15th Lok Sabha) on 'The National Food Security Bill, …
To bring about a synergy between the proposed direct transfer of food subsidies and the food security Bill, which will provide legal entitlement for cheap grain to a majority of India’s population, a Parliament standing committee has suggested states have the option of choosing between the two. The suggestion has …
The Parliamentary Standing Committee examining the National Food Security Bill is considering to recommend to the government to do away with the categorisation of “general” and “priority” (similar to the below poverty line) households in the legislation and provide uniform food guarantee to 75 per cent of the rural population …
In a move that could speed up the ambitious direct cash transfer programme, rural development minister Jaiarm Ramesh has suggested other entities such as state governments and banks should be roped in to enroll residents in the Aadhaar system. In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Ramesh said the …
The direct cash transfer scheme is not a “jaadu ki chhadi” (magic wand) to reform a “broken down” delivery system and problems are there in its implementation, Union minister Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday. “It (Direct Benefits Transfer Scheme) is not a single ‘jaadu ki chhadi’ (magic wand). It is …
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday kicked off the customary pre-Budget consultations. In a meeting with the finance minister, agriculturalists shared concerns on the government’s widening fiscal deficit. They also suggested direct cash transfer of fertiliser and food subsidies, which they claimed would save the government Rs 70,000-85,000 crore directly. …
Several districts are lagging in Aadhaar cards and Aadhaar-linked bank accounts Tuesday was the kick-off of the Union government’s Direct Benefits Transfer scheme and early reports show that despite scaling down the number of districts and schemes to be covered, much work still needs to be done to make the …
The recent commodity boom has seriously affected South Asia, particularly due to higher food prices and their impact on the welfare of poor and vulnerable populations. This paper describes the food crisis and its effect on the region and then goes on to outline policies that countries in the region …
Direct cash transfers may curb migration among those who need to be at their native place to benefit from cash transfer The country’s poor are bracing for what is dubbed as a potential game changer in the delivery of development. To monetise its support for the poor, the government has …
Chhattisgarh will bear an additional subsidy of Rs. 2,300 crore Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh does not favour proposed cash transfer for food and will not implement the scheme in his State. “Food security means taking food to people’s doorstep,” he told journalists here on Saturday. The Chief Minister said …
After announcing the direct cash transfer rollout from January 1, the focus has come back on the Food Security Bill, for which the UPA government is looking at the Budget Session for passage. The parliamentary standing committee is learnt to have given its report to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. …
