National Food Security

Drop in nutrition, calorie intake in 80% of rural population: Economist

Rural population has been grappling with decline in food and nutrition intake after the advent of the neo-liberal policies in the early 1990s with an estimated 80 per cent of them now having less than 2,200 calories per day, according to economist Utsa Patnaik. "The nutritional intake data is not there. But from whatever there is, by using certain approximations, I estimate that more than 80 per cent of the rural population has slipped below 2,200 calories per day intake," she said while delivering the second P Sundarayya memorial lecture on the topic 'Agrarian Distress, Worker-Peasant Alliance and Resistance to Corporate and Imperialist Designs in India' here on Wednesday evening. "That is what the data tell us. That is what the government's own data from the annual economic surveys and from the National Sample Service tell us. And of course, all these claims of declining mass poverty is completely false," she alleged. The accepted average calorie requirement in India is 2400 ...

Will double quantity of grain each person is entitled to under FSA: Cong

The Congress on Thursday claimed that the BJP is "spreading lies" about food rations in India and asserted that what Karnataka has accomplished through its 10 kg free rice guarantee scheme of 'Anna Bhagya' will now be implemented across the country by an INDIA bloc government. The party's assertion came a day after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced that if the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is voted to power, it will double the quantity of free rations provided by the BJP government to the poor. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said once again, "The PM and the BJP are spreading lies about food rations in India". "This is the real chronology' of recent events: The National Food Security Act, passed in September 2013 by the Manmohan Singh Government, provided grains for 80 crore Indians (based on 2011 Census). It was opposed in writing by only one CM: the-then CM of Gujarat. As PM, Mr. Narendra Modi did nothing to impleme

Rice cornerstone of food security in country, says President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu said on Saturday that rice is the cornerstone of food security in the country, and a key factor of the nation's economy

Free grain under NFSA: States to save on food bill, lose political mileage

Food subsidies are a major portion of subsidies provided by states

Centre asks States, UTs to conduct social audit for mid-day meal scheme

The social audit is important in detecting irregularities like siphoning of funds and helps the authorities to get feedback from the local community, on the mid-day meal scheme

What's a freebie? Experts dissect basic definition amid SC hearings

'Strain on exchequer arising from sops to industry, bad loan waivers, etc., must be discussed'

Odisha top among states on Food Act implementation; UP in second place

Goa and Chhattisgarh at the bottom of the pile on implementation of National Food Security Act

Covid-19 shouldn't be used as an argument to raise buffer stocking norms

The controversial overflowing granaries have come in handy to feed the poor during the Covid-19 lockdown. But should that be used as an argument to raise buffer stocking norms?

'I am poor, receive ration' painted on houses in Rajasthan's Dausa

This initiative has been taken so that only the needy can avail the benefits of the govts' scheme