POVERTY/HUNGER/PDS - 2013 January to December - 2013

Compiled By Fr. Paul G Documentation Centre∗

India to miss UN goals for poverty, hunger, infant mortality (21) NEW DELHI: India is expected to miss the crucial UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG), including those related to reduction in poverty, hunger and infant mortality, according to a government report. The poverty ratio is likely to be 26.7% by 2015 as against the target of 23.9%, while infant mortality rate (IMR) would be 43 per 1,000 live births against the milestone of bringing it down to 27. The child mortality rate would be at 52 per 1,000 live births compared to the target of 52, according to the Statistical Year Book 2013 released by minister of statistics and programme implementation Srikant Kumar Jena. According to the report, the poverty ratio is likely to be 26.7% compared to MDG target of 23.9% by 2015. It was 29.8% in 2009-10. India was supposed to halve the percentage of population below the national poverty line by 2015 over the 1990 level. In 1990, poverty ratio was 47.8% that came down to 37.2% in 2004-05. India was also required to reduce the mortality rate for children under-five years to 42 per 1,000 live births by 2015. However, the current estimates suggest that it would be around 52 when the MDG deadline lapses. The latest data suggests that maternal mortality rate (MMR) would come down to 139 per 1 lakh births by 2015 from 437 in 1990, while the nation is expected to reduce MMR by three quarters between 1990 and 2015 to 109 per 1 lakh births. "Malnutrition continues to be a major hurdle," the report said. The trend of the proportion of underweight (severe & moderate) children below three years shows that India is going slow in eliminating the effect of malnourishment. From estimated 52% in 1990, the proportion of underweight children below three years is required to be reduced to 26% by 2015. According to official estimates, the proportion of underweight children has declined from 43% during 1998-99 to 40% in 2005-06. At the historical rate of decline, the proportion is expected to come down to only about 33% by 2015 vis-a-vis the target of 26%.While India is expected to lag behind on health indicators, the performance is upto the mark on education front. It is expected to meet the target to ensure that by 2015 children everywhere, boys and girls alike will be able to complete a full course of primary education. "Achieving universal primary education is round the corner," the report said. The data shows that the country is well set to achieve 100% primary education for children ahead of 2015. "Gender parity has already been achieved in primary education (in 2007-08 itself) and the disparity in secondary education is set to disappear by 2015," the report noted. (Times of India 2/1/13) Involve panchayati raj institutions in food deliver y: NHRC (1) KOCHI: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has written to chief secretaries of all states to ensure that the system of food delivery be firmed up by active involvement of Panchayati Raj institutions. "It is mandatory not just to have food as matter of right but also to ensure proper nutrition. Schemes are already available but we have to see and remove the discrepancies in existing schemes. Providing food should not be based on only quantity but on calories of energy", NHRC has recommended. "There is need to dovetail with employment generation schemes and other interventions to ensure sustainable livelihood", it added. The Commission had constituted a core group on Right to Food, comprising experts from across the country. Later a small group was constituted to crystallize the recommendations and suggestions made by the core group. This happened after NHRC took cognizance of starvation deaths in

∗ This is a collection of previously published news and views from the print as well as the electronic media, whose reference marked at the end of each news items. Department of Documentation and Library (DDL) of the Indian Social Institute, New Delhi neither claims to the veracity of the facts in the news nor subscribes to the views expressed.

Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput districts of Odisha as starvation constitutes a gross denial and violation of right to life. NHRC also had a day-long national conference on 'Right to Food' in New Delhi on Friday to analyse the right to food in terms of availability, accessibility, adequacy and sustainability; existing situation in the country regarding fulfilment and realization of the right to food; examination of the programme and policies being followed in realizing right to food; and steps to create awareness on the importance of the right to food. (Times of India 4/1/13) Food insecurity, poverty still plague India: expert BANGALORE: Food insecurity and poverty persist in India because the country ranks the lowest among emerging nations like China, Brazil and South Africa in addressing hunger and nutrition problems. This is what Shenggen Fan, director-general of Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), said at an international conference on agricultural productivity and sustainability at the National Institute of Advanced Studies on Tuesday. "An innovative and integrated approach is needed to address the problem. The need of the hour is investment in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and development, and education," he said. Economist Abhijit Sen, member of the planning commission, felt there's still something to cheer about despite the declining growth rate and global warming. "The country's rate of yield growth in agriculture in the last five years is the best yet," he said. (Times of India 9.1.13) Poverty still a challenge, admits PM (21) Kochi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday admitted that the country was still facing persisting challenges of poverty, equity and sustainability despite an impressive economic performance and change on an enormous scale in the past two decades. Inaugurating the 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas at Kochi, the PM said, “Vulnerable sections of society including our women face enduring prejudices and continuing problems in a rapidly changing India,” in the context of the nationwide outrage over various issues like corruption and the Delhi gang-rape incident. He, however, said his Government was determined to turn any setback into an opportunity to improve legal and regulatory frameworks in the context of a surge of expectation from an increasingly articulate public. “I have no doubt that the energy and passions of our citizens, particularly the youth, will be a force of positive change in our country,” he said. Dwelling upon his favourite realm of the economic situation, the Prime Minister blamed the two major financial crises that emanated in the developed world as responsible for the downturn in India’s growth by stating that the Indian economy had not been immune to the consequences of those two crises. However, PM said his Government was confident that the strong economic fundamentals supported by “sound policies” would enable the Indian economy to return to the path. Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag, who was the chief guest, said his country would support India in its attempt for a permanent berth in the United Nations, adding the Indian people felt proud when they saw India progressing. (Pioneer 10/1/13) Half of world's meals go into the bin (21) London: Experts have revealed that half of the food produced in the world is actually being thrown away every year. According to a report, as much as two billion tonnes is wasted just because of overly strict sell-by dates, buy-one-get-one-free offers and consumer fussiness, Daily Express reported Thursday. Up to 30 percent of the vegetables in Britain are not harvested because their physical appearance fails to match the severe demands of the supermarkets. According to a report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, an independent scientific body, half of the food purchased in Europe and the US is thrown away as needless waste while elsewhere there are other problems like storage. "The amount of food wasted is staggering," says Tim Fox, of the institution. "This could be used to feed the world's growing population - as well as those in hunger today." "The reasons for this situation range from poor engineering and agricultural practices, inadequate transport and storage infrastructure through to supermarkets demanding cosmetically perfect foodstuffs," he added. (New Kerala 11/1/13)

Gujarat among states with poorer Muslims' (21) New Delhi: Gujarat may have a small Muslim population but the state, according to the Planning Commission, contributes significantly to the high incidence of poverty among the community nationally. In the 12th Plan approved by the National Development Council, the plan panel lists Gujarat along with UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam as the states accounting for high urban and rural poverty ratio among Muslims. “Poverty ratio for Muslims was 33.9% in urban areas, on account of states such as UP, Gujarat, Bihar and West Bengal. In rural areas, the poverty ratio for Muslims was very high in states such as Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat” it says, according to the ‘the latest Planning Commission estimates’ based on Census 2001, National Family Health Survey, Working Group Reports etc. Among the five states listed, Gujarat consists of the least number of Muslims. While 18.5% of UP’s population is Muslim, in Bihar it is 16.5%. As much as 25% of West Bengal and 31% of Assam is Muslim-dominated. In Gujarat, 8.8% are Muslims (Census 2001) and at least six more states have Muslims in higher proportion than Gujarat. But Gujarat CM Narendra Modi has been denying allegations that Muslims fall backward in the growth graph of the state. Overall, Muslims constitute 13.4% of the country’s population and 73% of the total minorities. “The literacy rate and work participation rate amongst the Muslims is low as compared to other minorities … Only a few of them are reported to have benefited from various development schemes,” the section Empowerment of Minorities – Poverty and Alienation states. “An important concern vis-à-vis the Muslim community is the perception of discrimination and alienation.” (Hindustan Times 15/1/13) Assam records over 500 poverty-driven suicides in 3 years (21) GUWAHATI: If you thought Odisha had the highest number of poverty-driven suicides, think again. Assam recorded 500 such deaths between 2009 and 2011. This, despite the state government stressing on economic development of rural areas and hailing its achievements on this front from time to time.The records, compiled in the Statistical Year Book of India 2013 by the Union ministry of statistics and programme implementation earlier in January, revealed that the state recorded a constant rise in suicides due to poverty during these three years. "In 2009, 141 people committed suicide due to poverty. In the following year, the number went up to 159. In 2011, a total of 268 people killed themselves due to the same reason. A total of 568 such deaths were recorded in these three years," says the official report.For the record, the total number of poverty-driven suicides across the country stood at 2,987, 3,047 and 2,282 for the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively. A senior Congress leader of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, while refusing to comment on the figures agreed that "it's a very serious matter and we need to cross check all the figures." Incidentally, cases of suicides due to unemployment in the state are a major cause for concern. "At least 181 people have committed suicide due to unemployment in Assam in these three years. In 2009, the figure was 82 but it came down to 41 in 2011," added the report. Meanwhile, from 2009 to 2011, the state also witnessed 44 deaths due to sudden change in economic status or bankruptcy. Immediately after the release of the figures, opposition parties AGP and BJP reacted saying the figures are going to be an eye-opener for rural people ahead of the panchayat polls. "During the Congress's reign, the state's growth in per capita income ranked 30th in the country. Moreover, the state government is yet to utilize over 70 per cent of the funds allotted under various schemes of rural development in this fiscal," said AGP publicity secretary Manoj Saikia. Among the other six northeastern states, the poll-bound state of Tripura followed Assam in suicide cases due to poverty. In Tripura, 14 people committed suicide for poverty with eight cases in 2009, five in 2010 and one in 2011. Meghalaya stood at the third place among the NE states, with four such deaths in 2009. (Times of India 25/1/13) 2 lakh Odisha workers suffer in hellish Andhra kiln s (21)

KOLKATA: They are loaded onto trains like goats, wide-eyed and scared. Few know where they are being herded to or where the trains - the Korba-VSKP Link Express and the Durg-VSKP Passenger - are going. They are pushed into unreserved compartments, one stacked above the other like sacks of rice. Some die without food or water; others from sheer heat. But no one cares. It's modern-day slavery at its worst. Every year in November, brick kiln workers with hunger gnawing inside them migrate from Odisha to Andhra Pradesh to escape abject poverty. This 'distress migration', which happens during the lean agricultural months, soon descends to a hellish existence as these workers have 18-hour work days, regular assaults and inhuman beatings. "Some seem to have lost their minds in the process," says Subhadeep Kumar, a University of Hyderabad (UoH) student. "I don't think they were that way when they were recruited." Sudhir Katiyar, project director of Prayas Centre for Labor Research and Action (PCLRA), says, "There are at least 2,00,000 Odisha brick kiln workers in Andhra. They are a perfect example of slavery in modern times." These workers migrate from Balangir, Koraput, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Bargarh districts of west Odisha. "Government schemes are not implemented properly here," says Trilochan Punji, president of Zindabad Sangathan which led to the formation of a union in Balangir. "NREGS mein ghotala hai (It's a scam). They don't get paid for any work." The state administration, meanwhile, has turned a blind eye to this migration. "We approached the Balangir district labour officer, but he did not respond," says Punji. "Why should he? The sardars are getting these people work outside the state, so the administration doesn't need to worry about their employment." They are then sent to kilns in Ranga Reddy, Medak and Nalgonda districts of Andhra where they work for a pittance. According to the Minimum Wages Act, a pair of workers should be paid Rs 367 for making 1,000 bricks. But in reality, a family (3-4 members) is paid just Rs 150-200. Things got so bad last March that there was an uprising of workers in Dundigal village in Ranga Reddy district demanding just payment. The police detained the organizers and then allowed the employers a free run to flex their muscles, says Katiyar. "We have filed six group cases for payment of minimum wages and there has been absolutely no action by the labour department," says Katiyar. When Kantabanji superintendent of police Avinash Kumar caught some brick kiln owners last year, he was transferred within a fortnight. If these workers try to walk out, they are threatened with physical assault or beaten up. Goons follow them wherever they go. With no spare cash, fleeing at night is also impossible. Children too aren't spared. They are made to flip bricks while they're drying because the heavier palms of adults may lead to cracks. When the Human Rights Forum approached authorities to do something, they were asked why the labourers can't just leave, says P Madhavi, Hyderabad committee convenor of the organization. "But where will they go? They have nothing to go back home to. The solution is to protect their rights." Meanwhile, a committee comprising the Indian Federation of Trade Unions, HRF, Action Aid and UoH has been formed to see that the voices of these exploited workers are heard. (Times of India 27./1/13) Scientist sees end to poverty in 50 years (21) KOLKATA: Poverty can be eradicated in just 50 years, feels inventor and philanthropist Dr Mani Lal Bhaumik, one of the rare scientists to bridge science and spirituality. He was speaking at a lecture organised by the Sri Aurobindo Institute of Culture and Suresh Amiya Memorial Trust at the Future Foundation School on Sunday evening. "The technology is there. So is the money. All we need now is the right political circumstances to eradicate poverty," said the inventor of excimer laser used in corrective eye surgery. Bhaumik, who is a real life rags-to-riches story, was born in a village in Tamluk but went on to receive global acclaim for his scientific prowess and humanitarian work. Ever attached to his home-state, he said he was pained to see "Bengal stuck in gear". "We are still surviving on what BC Roy left behind. But I am an optimist," he said. Bhaumik wouldn't name anything in particular but said he was pained by "recent events". "It's unfortunate, but I have hope for the future. If you compare the India of 50 years ago and the India of today, how can you not be optimistic?" Earlier in his lecture, he had pointed out that it was Swami Vivekananda who took the word 'yoga' to the West, adding that the teachings of the Swami and Sri Aurobindo are more relevant today than ever. "It thrills me to think that Sri Aurobindo had

seen the Truth that our rishis saw in the Vedic age and scientists are only now beginning to dwell upon. He had sensed the presence of the 'Source' - the source of the beginning of the universe - in everything around us, and within us. Our awareness is part of the cosmic awareness. Perhaps the next step of evolution is that we will be able to perceive the 'Source'." (Times of India 29/1/13)

‘Best scheme to root out poverty’ (21) Chennai: Delivering his address in the State Assembly, the Governor said the 66th round of National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) data shows that the total population living below the poverty line is 1.21 crore in Tamil Nadu, which is 17.1 per cent of the total population. The percentage of the population living below the poverty line in rural and urban areas is 21.2 and 12.8 per cent respectively. The Governor further said the ‘Puthu Vazhvu’ (New Life) project launched by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has been acknowledged by the Centre as one of the best models in the country towards poverty alleviation. The Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihood Mission, a new poverty alleviation scheme, is being jointly implemented by the State and the Centre. The Governor also said the government would launch an ambitious Comprehensive Project Formulation, Execution and Management System which would integrate and computerise the entire process of projects and works implementation in the State, right from the stage of preparation of estimates, tendering, awarding of tenders, execution of works including measurements, up to the final payment of bills. “Such a system will also include an e-procurement portal and the adoption of electronic tendering procedures in the government. This is expected to significantly enhance the efficiency of the project management processes and greatly speed up the implementation of projects,” he said. Rosaiah said the government would soon create the State Residents Data Hub (SRDH) for integrating Aadhaar numbers with the biometry enabled individual citizens’ data derived from the National Population Registry. The SRDH would ensure the availability of a Unified Data Repository to service all departments. This is expected to help the government in better targeting, effective service delivery, better accountability. (Indian Express 2/2/13) Odisha launches Rs.1 per kg rice scheme (21) Bhubaneswar, Feb 2 : Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Saturday launched a Rs.1 per kg rice scheme for poor people in Odisha from the Maoist dominated district of Malkangiri, an official said. According to the scheme, the government will provide 25 kg of rice at Rs.1 per kg every month to every family below the poverty line (BPL) along with some other catagories from state's backward regions, the official said. The chief minister distributed the highly subsidised rice to people of primitive Bonda tribe at a ceremony organised by Malkangiri administration, about 600 km from here. Patnaik had announced the scheme Jan 26 on the Republic Day to provide food security to over 58 lakh families in the state. "A hunger free Odisha is my dream," Patnaik said. All Dalit and tribal students; Antyodaya card holders, the physically challenged and families listed under above poverty line (APL) category in Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput districts will also be covered under this scheme. The state was earlier also providing subsidised rice at the rate of Rs.2 per family to about five million people, including poor and other selected categories since 2008 as per its pre-poll commitment. (New Kerala 2/2/13) Amartya Sen slams Muslim outfits for skirting 'core issue of poverty' (21) Kolkata: Noted economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Sunday said Muslim outfits are not trying to address the issues plaguing the community and instead diverting from them by organising protests against authors like Salman Rushdie. "There are a lot of people, who are enormously disadvantaged, have reasons to complain about other things. Here, I'm not only talking about the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes but the fact that even in Bengal, if you look at Muslim groups in terms of the even-handedness of progress, they have not been as privileged. To subvert that issue into a completely different kind, and getting offended about something else is distracting the attention from the real

disadvantages they face," Sen said at a event at Kolkata Literary Meet. Sen said by talking about offence, they are distracting from the real issues. His comments come in the wake of Rushdie's visit to Kolkata being cancelled at the last minute after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee allegedly heeded to Muslim cleric's demand of not allowing the Booker Prize winning author to land in the city. Sen today also criticized the Marxists for not raising the issues like open defecation and instead focussing on gas price hike. "When I was in Presidency College, I was a staunch supporter of the SFI (CPM's students' wing). But I am upset with various issues which Left parties now raise. I am particularly upset, when Left parties go after the issues of cooking gas (price hike) and other issues. They should also focus on eradicating the menace of open defecation, open toilets from our country," he added. He said that withdrawal of support from the UPA-I government by the Left parties over the Indo-US nuclear deal was a "tactical mistake, but a minor thing".Earlier on several occasions, Sen had raised the issues of open defecation and child malnutrition in the country, taking note that Bangladesh had surged ahead of India in curbing open defecation by a large extent. (Indian Express 4/2/13) Food bill will entail Rs.23,000-crore burden, govt tells Supreme Court (21) New Delhi: The UPA government’s proposed National Food Security Bill, aimed at providing subsidised food grains to around 67% Indians, would entail an additional financial burden of Rs.23,000 crore on the exchequer. The bill is pending before Parliament.In an affidavit filed in response to a query by the Supreme Court on whether the bill’s provisions could be implemented through an executive order as it awaits Parliament’s clearance, the joint secretary of ministry of consumer affairs stated: “Under the Constitutional Scheme financial allocations can only be made by Parliament and sanction for the expenditure for implementation of the provisions of the bill can be made only after the enactment of the food security bill.” The affidavit would be perused by a bench headed by Justice TS Thakur on Friday. The government also filed its response to the final report of Justice Wadhwa panel recommending measures to weed out corruption in the PDS. It said the government had initiated one such measure that is to computerise PDS. The same, it added, would cost R884 crore to the exchequer. However, the government turned down the suggestion to end the Above Poverty Line category and let NGOs run ration shops. (Hindustan Times 8/2/13) NHRC notice over starvation deaths (21) NEW DELHI: Taking cognizance of a complaint alleging death of 1,027 people due to starvation in Delhi between the years 1999 and 2011, the National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday issued notice to Delhi Chief Secretary calling for a report within six weeks. The complainant had also alleged that during this period 468 persons committed suicide due to their poor financial position. Referring to a newspaper report, he had called for a high level enquiry in the matter to initiate steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents. (The Hindu 13/2/13) UN aims at identifying steps to maintain food secur ity (21) New York, Feb 15 : Scaling up the global response to food security and nutrition topped the agenda Thursday at a special joint meeting between the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the General Assembly, world experts and the UN food agencies aimed at identifying steps to build a future free of hunger. The meeting, postponed when Hurricane Sandy hit in November, included the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP). "Governments, the UN system, civil society, the private sector: each has an important role to play if we are to strengthen agriculture and banish malnutrition," said George Talbot, the Chair of the Assembly's committee on economic and financial issues - known as the Second Committee - which co-organized the event on behalf of the Assembly. When we work together, particularly on the basis of our converging objectives and mandates, our cooperation highlights the key priorities for food and nutrition security. One in eight people worldwide suffer chronic malnutrition,

according to FAO, with volatile food prices, inadequate investment, land degradation and climate making the situation more precarious. Talbot said the mission was two-fold: "Address immediate issues of volatile food prices, while making the structural policy changes in areas like production, consumption and trade." Also speaking at Thursday's meeting, the President of ECOSOC urged participants to build on the momentum created at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), held in Brazil last summer. "Last June in Rio, world leaders pledged their support for efforts to boost sustainable agriculture output and farming productivity, efforts which include creating a freer, more equitable global trading system," said Nestor Osorio. He also praised the Committee on World Food Security, an intergovernmental body serving as a forum to review and follow up on food security policies, for adopting the Global Strategic Framework for Food Security and Nutrition to serve as a guide for governmental policies. He also noted efforts by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, including his High-Level Task Force and the Zero Hunger Challenge. "Our challenge, now, is to ensure that present commitments are transformed into meaningful action," Osorio added. Ban, who is in Washington D.C. Thursday, spoke to participants in a video, saying that "in a world of plenty, no one - not a single person - should go hungry." In addition to discussions at UN Headquarters in New York, people were invited to virtually write in their comments and questions in a two-week social media campaign. Meanwhile, staff from FAO, IFAD and WFP in Mozambique has been recognized for their collaborated efforts to improve the country's food security situation. The first ever Award of Excellence: Working Together in the Field was given to the Mozambique teams for a joint pilot programme that reached 17,000 farmers from 14 farmers' associations to improve the quality of harvest and reduce post-harvest losses. "Staff of the three agencies in Mozambique have leveraged their comparative advantages and knowledge to achieve an impressive level of synergy, put at the service of the most vulnerable in society," FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva said in a news release announcing the win. The programme, called Building Commodity Value Chains and Market Linkages for Farmers' Associations, has been recognized as one of the best examples of UN cooperation, according to FAO. The award was presented in Rome during the meeting of the IFAD Governing Council. "When we work together, particularly on the basis of our converging objectives and mandates, our cooperation highlights the key priorities for food and nutrition security," said IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze. WFP's Executive Director, Ertharin Cousin, echoed the comments. "No single organization can solve the challenges of food security alone. We must continue working closely together." (New Kerala 15/2/13) Food Security Bill must be pushed sensibly: Sen (21 ) New Delhi: Addressing an auditorium brimming with at least 2,000 people at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Nobel laureate and economist Amartya Sen, at a panel discussion on 'Hunger and Nutrition', laid out his vision for why food security should get top priority in the country. Outside the hallowed halls of IIT Delhi, the UPA's National Food Security Bill is being debated publicly in states and the Standing Committee has just returned the draft Bill with its suggestions. Sen said it was not just important to meet the needs of the malnourished Indian child "from the point of social justice but also to be able to generate long-term growth and development." He pointed out that "with one-third illiteracy, one-half without toilets, one-third with no electricity, 40 per cent of children being undernourished," India needs to review if any increase in growth rate was at all sustainable He spoke of the Asian growth model pioneered by Japan after the Meiji restoration in the 19th century and followed by South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and finally China. "This put the increase in capability of its people first in the form of the state providing health and education. This was understood nearly a century ago by Jamshedji Tata when Jamshedpur was established. But then the Asian growth model was forgotten." Amartya Sen said it was high time that India recommitted to developing human capabilities and discovering its broader connection with growth and social justice. He was critical of "the idea of recommending China's growth rate without the foggiest idea of what China does, is not a good idea." (Indian Express 16/2/13)

Sonia adds 25 mn families in food bill (21) New Delhi: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has asked the government to include nearly 25 million families who qualify as "poorest among India's poor" - and covered under existing food handouts - in the proposed National Food Security Bill, due to be placed in the Budget session. The change is being incorporated by the food ministry as an amendment to draft law and this could take up the number of people who would qualify for food aid under the food bill from 67% earlier. "The coverage could exceed 67% and go up to 70%," an official said, requesting anonymity. Gandhi is also understood to have asked the government to ensure that existing levels food allocations should be maintained. Although the bill itself will only guarantee monthly food handouts of 5kg for every entitled person, or 25 kg for a family of five - the average size of an Indian household - Gandhi has asked the government to continue current allocations, which is 35 kg in some states. The existing allocations - higher than what is proposed under the food bill -- will be made operational through an "executive order", or an administrative decision. Currently, 25 million households across the country receive 35 kg of food aid every month under the "Antyodaya Anna Yojana".Gandhi is said to told the government that unless these vulnerable families are covered, a food security law would be meaningless. The Planning Commission is finalizing a list of parameters that states need to adopt to decide who should be kept out of food handouts. (Hindustan Times 18/2/13) 'Not a solution to urban poverty' (21) Chennai: Experts studying urban poverty and inequal development have lauded the principle behind Jayalalithaa government’s decision to open 1,000 subsidised tiffin centres to ensure nutrition for Chennai’s poor. But they have flagged a number of issues in the implementation of the plan, which has the potential to render the programme ineffective. Only if such issues are addressed can these tiffin centres effectively cater to the nutrition needs of the lower economic strata, they say. The main impediment to the success of the tiffin centres is the government machinery itself, according to Professor SL Rao, the former Director General of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). “The principle of helping the poor and labourers with cheap food is a wonderful idea. To convert the idea into practice the government will have to procure and prepare in an efficient and hygienic manner. The process of handing over benefits to the poor is full of abuse, misuse and theft,” says Rao. “Given the experience in India, with the track record of poor implementation of such schemes, I am not in favour of the concept,” he adds. Rao suggests that the Tamil Nadu government will be able to ensure its objective more effectively if it identifies the intended beneficiaries and passes on the benefits directly. Other experts, however, say the scheme is in no way a one-stop solution for the problem of urban malnutrition. “This scheme seems symptomatic of the way governments in India have approached food shortage. This is a political and rhetorical move,” says Supriya Roy Chowdhury, Professor at the Centre for Political Institutions, Governance and Development at the Institute for Social and Economic Change. “The tiffin centres fall in the category of subsidies, without actually addressing the roots of urban poverty. Unavailability of employment and uncertainty of income should be addressed,” says Roy Chowdhury. She adds that the only way the scheme can come of some use is if the government can ensure the quality of food being served so that the poor would actually patronise the tiffin centres. (Indian Express 21/2/13) American dream? 8% of PIOs live below the poverty l ine (21) WASHINGTON: Even as Indian-Americans boast of having the highest per capita income among all the major ethnic groups in the US, more than 8% of the nearly three million community are living below the poverty line, says a latest census report. The 2007-2011 American Community Survey has said that 42.7 million people in the US had income below the poverty level. The national poverty rate is 14.7%. With 8.2% of poverty rate, Indian-Americans are far less poor than other ethnic groups and the national average, the Census Bureau report said. The Japanese-Americans too have a 8.2% poverty rate. For the Asian population, poverty rates were higher for Vietnamese (14.7%) and Koreans (15%), but the Filipinos have the lowest poverty rate of 5.8%. Among Hispanics, national poverty rates ranged from a low of

16.2% for Cubans to a high of 26.3% for Dominicans. In its report the Census Bureau said two race groups had poverty rates more than 10 percentage points higher than the national rate of 14.3%. American Indian and Alaska Native (27.0%) and black or African-American (25.8%).Rates were above the overall national average for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (17.6%), while poverty rates for people identified as white (11.6%) or Asian (11.7%) were lower than the overall poverty rate. (Times of India 22/2/13) Rights panel seeks report on Odisha starvation deat h (21) New Delhi, Feb 22 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Friday sought a report from district magistrate of Odisha's Sundargarh over the reported starvation death of an elderly man there in 2012. A notice has been issued to the Sundargarh district magistrate seeking a report within four weeks. The incident was reported in 2012. "Reportedly, the man, aged 65 years, was residing in Chupkadadar village of Sundargarh. He was facing abject poverty and suffering from geriatric disease," a statement from NHRC said. According to the rights panel, the man was dependent on forest produce as his land was infertile. He had not been issued a BPL (below poverty line) card or an old age pension. "Allegedly, he along with his wife had been approaching the administration for assistance but without any results," it said, citing a media report was forwarded by a local human rights activist seeking intervention of the commission. (New Kerala 23/2/13) Cong demands CM statement on State ‘hunger status’ (21) Bhubaneswar: The recent National Sample Survey (NSS) report projecting Odisha having the highest number of hungry people after West Bengal evoked concern in the Odisha Assembly on Friday with the opposition Congress seeking a clarification from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the issue. The issue was raised by Congress member Santosh Singh Saluja and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh during the zero hour. Saluja said that due to the utter failure of the State Government on social security front, the number of hungry people in Odisha had increased to 14 lakh, which is around 4 per cent of the rural population. Demanding a statement on the issue from the Chief Minister, Saluja said that while the Union Government was providing 35 kg rice to the BPL families in the State, how come four per cent of the total rural population was going without a square meal a day. Lamenting that the State Government was not able to prepare the BPL list, Saluja alleged that the names of teachers, OAS and IAS officers were in the BPL list and the real BPL families were not getting the benefit of the food grains and other materials meant for them leading to hunger deaths. Saluja was supported by his party colleague and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh. Singh described the report of the NSS as “very unfortunate and serious” and urged Speaker PK Amat to ask the Chief Minister to make a statement on the veracity of the NSS findings. Though the Chief Minister had been claiming that Odisha was on the road of prosperity, Singh regretted that a large number people were reeling under poverty and hunger. More hungry people are there in Odisha than Bihar and Assam, he said, adding that pro-poor schemes of the Central Government were not reaching the BPL section and migration was still a serious problem in the State. Stating that the report says that while six people in every one thousand are half fed in Odisha, in other States, the ratio was one per thousand, Singh said the BPL card was not being issued to the poor and many BPL and Poor left Out families had not got the BPL cards in western Odisha, particularly in Balangir district. Singh demanded that the State Government should conduct a fresh BPL survey and provide BPL cards to the real beneficiaries to check poverty and hunger. As per the published NSS report basing on 2011 Census, nearly 3.5 crore people of Odisha in rural areas which is around 13.98 lakh are not getting adequate food. On the other hand, the ruling BJD member Ranednra Pratap Swain refuted the allegation of the Congress members and dubbed the statement politically motivated to malign the BJD Government. He countered that hunger and poverty was the result of bad governance of the previous Congress Government. (Pioneer 24/2/13)

No role in giving poverty data: Srikant Jena (21) BHUBANESWAR: Countering the allegation of food supplies and consumer welfare minister Pratap Keshari Deb that a recent central government survey on hunger was 'politically motivated', Union statistics and programme implementation minister Srikant Jena on Sunday said although the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) was under his administrative control he had no role to play in furnishing the data. "I feel pity for the poor chap," Jena said, reacting to Deb's statement in the assembly on Saturday that the NSSO report on 'Perceived adequacy of food consumption in Indian households', released last week, was 'not accurate'. "The statistics and programme implementation ministry, under which NSSO functions, is headed by Jena, who is from Odisha. The report has been prepared keeping an eye on the 2014 elections," Deb had alleged, adding that the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council had brought a similar report ranking Gujarat among five worst faring states ahead of last year's elections in the western state. Jena said the poverty situation in Odisha was worse than what has been reported by NSSO. "Out of 84 lakh households in the state, about 60 lakh are BPL," he pointed out, referring to the state government's Re 1-a-kg rice scheme being given to 58 lakh households. Refusing any interference in NSSO work, he said even the Planning Commission at times get embarrassed by NSSO reports. Deb said he did not want to join issue with Jena, but stuck to his version. The NSSO survey found about 4% of rural households in Odisha not getting adequate food everyday during some months (January and February) in a year. "In Odisha, these two months are the (kharif crop) harvesting season and normally sufficient food is available with the people. Therefore, the analysis done in the report is not completely accurate," Deb had said. The opposition Congress questioned how could the state government dispute the NSSO report on poverty, when it was yet to come up with its own assessment on poverty? "When the state government was inflating poverty data to get extra aid from the Centre, why does it not accept the data that 4% of the people are underfed?" party spokesperson Narasingha Mishra asked. (Times of India 25/2/13)

Global Hunger Index, 2012 (21) The report ‘Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2012’ by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is based on three equally weighted indicators, namely undernourishment (proportion of undernourished people as percentage of population), child underweight and child mortality. This report mentions that India has lagged behind in improving its GHI score despite strong economic growth along with the statement that GHI data is based partly on outdated data. The approach in dealing with the nutrition challenges has been two pronged: First is the Multi-sectoral approach for accelerated action on the determinants of malnutrition in targeting nutrition in schemes/ programmes of all the sectors. The second approach is the direct and specific interventions targeted towards the vulnerable groups such as children below 6 years, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating mothers. The Government has accorded high priority to the issue of malnutrition especially among children and women including young girls and is implementing several schemes/programmes through State Governments/UT Administrations. The schemes/programmes include the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) namely SABLA, Indira Gandhi Matritva SahyogYojna (IGMSY) as direct targeted interventions. Besides, indirect multi-sectoral interventions include Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), National Horticulture Mission, National Food Security Mission, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan, National Rural Drinking Water Programme etc. All these schemes have potential to address one or other aspect of Nutrition. This was stated by Smt. Krishna Tirath, Minister for Women and Child Development, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha today. (Govt. of India PIB 1/3/13) PRI reps asked to stay alert on starvation deaths ( 21)

BHUBANESWAR: With allegations about starvation deaths being frequently made from many western Odisha districts, district administrations have been asked to make representatives of panchayait raj institutions (PRI) aware about their responsibilities to deal with situation. “Districts should take special measures to make the PRI representatives aware about their roles and responsibilities to deal with starvation situations and power to provide food assistance up to 10 days in deserving cases,” said P. K. Mohapatra, State special relief commissioner. Deputy Collectors and assistant collectors from all districts, who participated in a day-long orientation programme here on Wednesday, were updated about provisions in Odisha Relief Code which also deals with starvation cases. (The Hindu 2/3/13) Supreme Court seeks Central response on Chhattisgar h PDS model (21) NEW DELHI: Finance minister P Chidambaram may have brushed aside the Gujarat model of development but the Centre will now have to comment on the efficacy of the model set up by BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh in implementing targeted public distribution system providing subsidized food grains to the poor. The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Centre's comment on the Raman Singh government's model of TPDS implementation, which was repeatedly cited by petitioner People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) as the one which could be taken as a model for other states to emulate. "We would like the Centre's comment on the Chhattisgarh model because we do not have a mechanism to check. If everyone agrees that Chhattisgarh model is the best, what is the Centre's view and can it be emulated in other states," asked a bench of Justices TS Thakur and FM I Kalifulla. Attorney general GE Vahanvati was initially liberal in praising the implementation of TPDS by the Chhattisgarh government and said the Centre had cited the state's example in international forums. However, when the praise grew louder, the AG said he would have to get feedback from the ministry of consumer affairs on the issue of implementation of TPDS in Chhattisgarh. PUCL counsel Colin Gonsalves said Chhattisgarh had abolished privately run fair price shops which had become dens of corruption as food grain meant for the poorest of the poor was diverted to the open market by unscrupulous elements. "Chhattisgarh has given the distribution to mahila mandals (women's conferences) and self-help groups (SHGs). These have achieved excellent results in the state," Gonsalves said. But the bench asked whether permitting SHGs to operate fair price shops was tested anywhere else and wanted to know what should be the time period for the switchover from private dealers to SHGs. Gonsalves cited another BJP-ruled state as an example. "Madhya Pradesh too experimented with the Chhattisgarh model to achieve huge success in reaching the poorest of the poor with subsidized food grains. Chhattisgarh first trained the mahila mandals and SHGs in running the FPS and then brought in a law abolishing private run FPS. In six months, the switchover happened," he said. (Times of India 5/3/13) About 30% people were below poverty line in 09-10 ( 21) New Delhi: About 30 per cent of people in India were below the poverty line in 2009-10 that was based on the monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) of Rs 673 for rural areas and Rs 860 for urban areas, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. “As per the latest available information, the poverty line at all India level for 2009-10 is estimated as MPCE of Rs 673 for rural areas and Rs 860 for urban areas. “The percentage of people living below poverty line in the country in 2009-10 has been estimated at 29.8 per cent,” Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning Rajeev Shukla told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. Planning Commission is the nodal agency for estimating the number of percentage of people living below poverty line, which it defines on the basis of monthly per capita consumption, he said. In reply to a separate question, Shukla said that to address the issues relating to hunger, the government has taken a number of steps to ensure food security of the people particularly those below poverty line. “Government has been providing food grains at highly subsidised prices to the targeted population through states/union territories under the Targeted Public Distribution System and other welfare schemes,” he said. Also, he added, the government has introduced National Food Security Bill in the Lok Sabha which proposes to provide food and nutritional security, in human life cycle approach, by ensuring

access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices, to people to live a life with dignity. In addition to providing food security, the government has been implementing various welfare schemes for the poor to address issues like employment, health care, housing. Keywords: Below poverty line, India, based, monthly per capita, consumption expenditure, MPCE, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning Rajeev Shukla, Lok Sabha, (Business Line 6/3/13) “India has all requirements to return to 8% growth” (21) London: India has all the requirements to return to a GDP growth rate of 8 per cent in the coming years, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia said, while highlighting that current account deficit is a big problem right now. “India has averaged 7.5 per cent growth in the last 10 years. It should have done that for 15 years but it is possible to bring it back to the average performance of the last decade. The target for 2013-14 is 6.5-7 per cent and then accelerate further. India has all the requirements to return to 8 per cent, even if it is later than expected,” he told a gathering of students and academics at Oxford University. “A little over 5 per cent is a slowing down but the whole world is experiencing a slowing of growth. It is a worry because we expect much more but it is not as big a disaster as the media makes it out to be. Growth is important but that growth has to be inclusive and sustainable,” Ahluwalia said last evening. India's leading economic strategist also stressed that the pace of poverty reduction in the country was within the target set by the government. “It is clear that the government knows how to get growth going but there is a perception that we lag behind on inclusiveness. It is something the government takes very seriously and latest data indicates that the pace of poverty reduction has increased. The extreme view that the rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer, is nonsense. There is a lot of good news in terms of the pattern of growth being more inclusive,” he said. The former alumnus of the University of Oxford, who was invited by the Blavatnik School of Government to speak about 'India's Challenges Ahead', was in the UK on his way back from the G-20 Sherpas Meeting in Moscow. “The state of the world economy is a challenge. The focus of government policy is to re-assure foreign investors that India is wide open for business. India has the human resources in place and an expanding private sector. The only problem is the current account deficit. But the global financial system appears to be stabilising and the most important message is that India is a good bet for foreign investment and that message is getting across,” he said. (Pioneer 7/3/13) ‘Implement Swaminathan panel recommendations’ (21) KADAPA: CPI State leader and Director of Neelam Rajasekhara Reddy Research Centre T. Lakshminarayana on Friday demanded the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations for ensuring remunerative prices for farm produce. Delivering a memorial lecture on agricultural crisis, government policies and Right to Food on the 17th death anniversary of CPI leader J. Venkataram Reddy at YSR Memorial Press Club here, he said nearly 58 per cent of the population depended on agriculture. The rural folk are migrating to urban areas due to lack of proper education, medicare and employment facilities in villages, he said. Farming has become all the more difficult with the growing influence of Multinational Companies in seeds, pesticides, modern farm tools and gradual weaning away of subsidies to farmers, Mr. Lakshminarayana said. Tonnes of foodgrains are being exported even as poverty and starvation are on the rise. He charged the UPA government with diluting PDS and endangering food security. Such a situation can lead to growth of terrorism, naxalism, unemployment and unrest. The CPI leader deplored allotment of a meagre 1.62 per cent of the central budget to agriculture, while giving concessions worth Rs. 2.25 lakh crore to industrial houses in the last three years. Farmers and agricultural labourers are on the verge of revolting, he said. KC Canal was the sole irrigation provider in Kadapa district, CPI district secretary G. Easwaraiah and CPI(M) district secretary B. Narayana said. They charged the government with ignoring the farmers’ interests. Pruning of subsidies can lead to rise in prices of urea and phosphate from Rs. 580 in January 2011 to Rs. 1,280 now, they said. CPI leaders Abdul Khader, Chennakesava Reddy, P. Krishnamurthy, B. Ramaiah, Rythu

Sangham district president T. Ramasubba Reddy, J. Venkataram Reddy’s kin Narayana Reddy and leaders of frontal organisations participated. (The Hindu 9/3/13) Happiness and health: Not growing together (21) India often likes to believe it could be a "super power", but a more realistic target is to beat China first. India could even do well, for now, to match Bangladesh, a smaller neighbour with a lower per capita income, but far better human development indices. Compared to India, fewer children die during their first five years in Bangladesh; girls stay longer in Bangladeshi schools and mothers have less chances of dying during childbirths. Should India chase growth and leave everything else to the markets or increase focus on state-run social programmes? An acrimonious debate rages on, from university classrooms to television studios. Last month, Alpa Shah of the London School of Economics joined Professor Akhil Gupta of the UCLA on BBC Radio 4's "Thinking Allowed" show to discuss why India's poverty-alleviation programmes don't work. Shah called on India to review the kind of economic growth it is currently pursuing, which has led to an "economic polarisation". In other words, an ever-increasing gap between the rich and the poor. "Rampant corruption and the state's obsession with paperwork despite widespread illiteracy amongst India's poorest citizens leads to the arbitrary distribution of state assistance," Professor Gupta argues. Last May, the government had asked the Planning Commission to update it on how far the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) had been achieved. The MGDs are a set of eight globally agreed benchmarks to free people from extreme poverty and deprivation by 2015. The target is to reduce these by half. The plan panel reported that, of the eight goals, none looked distinctly achievable, from health to hunger. Two sub-targets were "likely" to be met, provided efforts were sustained and four are "not on track", while four others were found to be on course. It said India was likely to be "close" to its poverty reduction target, despite no clarity on the official poverty line yet. Its 2009-10 poverty benchmark - R32 and R26 for urban and rural dwellers - was squarely criticised for being so low that few Indians would get by on it. The government had then set up a panel for a more realistic "poverty line". "Income-poverty reduction is expected to be border line (case). But if one were to include more 'non-income poverty indicators', like spending on health and education, the poverty scenario could be different," said Mahendra Dev, who heads the Mumbai-based Indira Gandhi Institute of Rural Development and is on the panel to review the vexed poverty line. In quite a contrast, China, revealing its budget allocations on March 5, announced raising welfare funds. Its largest percentage increase is in health-care spending, set to rise 27%, compared to a 16% increase last year. Much of it will go to for rural healthcare subsidies. India's spends a tiny 1.2% of its GDP on healthcare. Of this, the Centre spends just 0.3%. Targets on primary education and HIV-prevalence reversal are likely to be met, but this is offset by abysmal teaching standards. The government's annual education report of 2011 showed a majority of Class 5 pupils could not read Class 2 texts. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen has questioned India's "single-minded" pursuit of growth, which on its own can't improve lives, calling for "growth-mediated development" instead. Is the government listening? (Hindustan Times 10/3/13) States Consulted on National Food Security Bill (21 ) A meeting of Food Ministers and Food Secretaries of States/Union Territories (UTs) was held on 13.02.2013 in New Delhi to discuss recommendations of the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution on the National Food Security Bill, 2011. States/UTs expressed their views on recommendations of the Standing Committee on various aspects of the Bill, including coverage under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) at 75% and 50% for rural and urban population respectively, identification of beneficiaries, foodgrain entitlement of 5 kg per person per month under TPDS, sharing of expenditure etc. This information was given by the Minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution Prof. K.V. Thomas in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today. He said that at the current levels of production and procurement of foodgrains, any shortfall in availability of foodgrains is not foreseen, so far as meeting the estimated requirement of foodgrains under the National Food Security Bill is concerned.

However, in order to ensure adequate availability of foodgrains, the Government has set a target of production of additional 25 million tons of foodgrains in the 12th Five Year Plan. Government is taking steps to increase productivity in non-traditional areas and to stabilize production in traditional areas, by seeking to improve agriculture infrastructure, promote sustainable agriculture through better national resource management and favourable terms of trade for food crops through remunerative Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) and marketing support to farmers. (Govt. of India PIB 11/3/13) Ending poverty in UP a must for World Bank mission: Kim (21) LUCKNOW: World Bank Group president Jim Yong rpt Yong Kim on Tuesday said the mission of the multilateral institution was to end poverty, and there is no way in achieving this objective for the country without ending it in Uttar Pradesh. "We have called on two fundamental ideas one is end to poverty... In this generation, we think that we can end the poverty," Kim said in a joint press conference with chief minister Akhilesh Yadav here. He said there is no way the plan could be successful in achieving the aim of ending poverty without being successful in UP, where 8 per cent of the people live below the poverty line. "This is not right that people live below our level," Kim said. The other issue on which the bank is focussed is to further 'sheer prosperity'. "In other words, we are very focussed on economic growth which brings jobs. We know that in the developing countries 90 per cent jobs are created in the private sector, so we need the growth in this sector," he said. (Times of India 12/3/13) Over half population in Bihar below poverty line in 2009-10, Rajeev Shukla says (21) NEW DELHI: More than half the population in Bihar lived below the poverty line in 2009-10, minister of state for parliamentary affairs and planning Rajeev Shukla said in Parliament today. "As per the Tendulkar methodology, 53.5% of the population in Bihar was living below the poverty line in 2009-10," Shukla said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. In reply to a question if the government has any special assistance to Bihar, he said special plan for Bihar was approved in 2003-04. "An allocation of Rs 1,000 crore per annum was approved for the special plan during the 10th Plan period after approval to the scheme in 2003-04 under the erstwhile Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana," he said. Shukla said the allocation was approved to be continued during the 11th Plan period under the Backward Regions Grant Fund. And this allocation was enhanced to Rs 2,000 crore for 2010-11 and Rs 1,470 crore for 2011-12. An allocation of Rs 1,500 crore has been made for 2012-13. Funds are being released for various projects on 100 per cent grant basis, he added further. He said the aim of all these programmes is to accelerate socio-economic development in Bihar. Through the special plan for Bihar, infrastructure - particularly power, roads and irrigation - is being put in place, Shukla said. In reply to a separate question on according special status to states, he said presently 11 states are under the special category States. These states are Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand. National Development Council is the sole body to accord special category status to a state based on an integrated consideration of set of criteria," he said. He said the status is accorded on the basis of criterion such as hilly and difficult terrain, low population density or sizeable share of tribal population, strategic location along borders with neighbouring countries, economic and infrastructural backwardness and non-viable nature of state finances. (Times of India 14/3/13) Profligacy is no solution to rural poverty (21) The UPA government’s decision to move the draft National Right to Homestead Bill, 2013, in Parliament shows that it has not learnt from its past mistakes. Under the proposed law, every homeless and landless poor family in rural areas will get a homestead of not less than 10 cents including a ‘dwelling’ with ‘adequate’ facilities. According to the 11th Plan document, 8 million of 13-18 million landless rural families are homeless. The Bill has been drawn up with a view to winning the assembly elections due this year and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The UPA believes that it was able to return to power only because of the popularity of the job guarantee scheme it had initiated during its first term. Studies have shown that

the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which promises 100 days of job to each rural household every year, has failed to achieve its objectives. Yet, thousands of crores of rupees, which could have been utilised to create tangible national assets, have gone down the drain. If a proper cost-benefit analysis is made, the MNREGA will end up as one of the most wasteful schemes ever introduced by the Central government. The fate of the proposed National Food Security Bill on which even the UPA government has differences of opinion and the Homestead Bill will not be any different. The determination to win elections by hook or by crook is what motivates it to think only of populist schemes. It prefers to be oblivious of the danger of profligate spending leading to price rise and inflation. The antidote to rural poverty is not populism but schemes that will increase agricultural productivity, create jobs in rural areas and, thereby, arrest migration to urban areas. Instead of introducing such schemes, which may not yield immediate electoral dividends but will strengthen the economy, it has been thinking only of short-term gains. (Indian Express 15/3/13) Land lost to irrigation project, tribal families re el in poverty (21) Mumbai: Displaced by an irrigation project, tribal villagers in Dhindori taluka of Nashik district have been rendered landless with the Water Resources Ministry saying they had acquired the land from the forest department and therefore rehabilitation was the responsibility of the Forest Ministry, which in turn was not willing to give the villagers land at another location. Almost 20 tribal families living for several generations in forest land in Devsana and Gogul had to forgo their land after the Forest department acquired it for Manjarpada phase 1 medium irrigation project. The villagers said the government had promised to rehabilitate them with land but the project commenced in 2008 without that happening. Villagers who cultivated rice, varai and magli are now reeling in poverty as they have no land. Narayan Pandu Bhoye, a project-affected villager, said, "Since 2008, we have been landless. The forest department asked us to vacate the land for the project. Nobody bothered to rehabilitate us." The water resources department led by Sunil Tatkare said they acquired the land from the forest department, which was responsible for compensating the tribals. A senior water resources official said, "The land was acquired from the forest department and therefore we don't come into the picture. The ministry of forest, relief and rehabilitation should have looked into the matter." The Ministry of Forests headed by Patangrao Kadam, who also heads the Relief and Rehabilitation ministry, though was reluctant in providing land to villagers. A senior forest department official said, "The government is not averse to their rehabilitation. It appears they are not willing to take financial compensation. Providing land will require consent of other departments." Dhanraj Haribhau Mahale (MLA) from Dhindori district said, "Unfortunately, these poor tribals have become victims of an inter-departmental tussle. All they are seeking is their right." Mahale said, "Villagers are not interested in financial help. They want land." He said, "The tribals are willing to be relocated to adjoining villages if given land rights." Sitaram Buwaji Dhule, a villager, said, "The land acquired was in our name. The revenue department has all records." Arjun Gaikwad said, "We have been living in the forest for generations. We were given rights to farm on five acres each by the revenue ministry. Everything is recorded with the government. Now they are saying the land belongs to the forest department and we cannot be compensated." The villagers have sought help of Nashik guardian minister Chhagan Bhujbal. He has promised to take up their cause. (Indian Express 17/3/13) Cabinet clears revised Food Security Bill (21) NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday approved the revised Food Security Bill to provide for uniform 5 kg of foodgrains per month per person at a highly subsidised price of Rs 1-3 per kg to two-thirds of the country's population. However, about 2.43 crore poorest of the poor families covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) scheme under PDS would get legal entitlement to 35 kg of foodgrain per family per month. "Revised Food Bill has been cleared. We will try to bring the amendments to the Food Bill in Parliament before Friday," food minister K V Thomas told reporters here after the Cabinet meeting. The extra burden on the food subsidy would be about Rs 20,000 crore from the current level, while

foodgrains requirement is expected to be 61.23 million tonnes, he added. "Uniform prices of Rs 3, 2 and 1 per kg for rice, wheat and coarse grains, respectively, will be applicable to all eligible beneficiaries. The prices would be revised after three years from the implementation of the Act," he said. In the original Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2011, beneficiaries were divided into priority and general households. Priority households were entitled to 7 kg of rice, wheat and coarse grains per person per month at Rs 3, Rs 2 and Re 1 per kg respectively. At least 3 kg for 'general' households at 50 per cent of support price. The amendments to the Bill have been done in line with the Parliamentary Standing Committee report that suggested doing away with dividing beneficiaries into two categories. The panel had advocated uniform monthly entitlement of 5 kg grain per person at uniform price. Earlier, sources had said that more than 55 amendments have been proposed to the Bill. Under the current public distribution system (PDS), BPL and AAY families get 35kg of foodgrains per month, while the allocations for APL families range between 15kg to 35kg. Currently, rice is supplied to AAY families at Rs 3/kg, BPL families at Rs 5.65/kg and APL families at Rs 8.30/kg. Wheat is sold at Rs 2/kg to AAY families, while BPL gets wheat at Rs 4.15/kg and APL at Rs 6.10/kg. (Times of India 19/3/13) Congress protests Modi's statement on poverty (21) AHMEDABAD: Disputing chief minister Narendra Modi's claims on poverty in Gujarat, Congress MLAs held a protest before the statue of Mahatma Gandhi adjacent to the state assembly. Modi had said in New Delhi last week that there are no poor in Gujarat but the poor from other states come to Gujarat for employment and it seems like poverty is increasing in the state. Carrying placards and raising slogans, the Congressmen, under the leader of opposition Shankarsinh Vaghela demanded a white paper on poverty in Gujarat. Vaghela said the state government has spent crores for six Vibrant Gujarat summits but in the last ten years, Gujarat has received only Rs 36,913 crores as investment and is ranked fifth as an investment destination. He said that at present, there are 10 lakh farmers waiting for power connections and the state ranks 10th in agriculture production. He also pointed that 57 per cent children in the state are suffering from malnutrition. Vaghela also alleged that the state government has not started any water scarcity relief work despite the fact that UPA government has recently decided to give Rs.861 crores to the state to tackle the situation. He also raised the issue of appointment of Lokayukta in the state. (Times of India 20/3/13) 'Fighting poverty, sustaining development is countr y's biggest challenge' (21) DHARWAD: Hunger and malnourishment are the biggest problems for the children of the poor, stunting their growth and brain development, said director general of Icrisat William Dar here on Friday. Delivering the convocation address at the 26th annual convocation of the University of Agricultural Sciences, he said fighting hunger, malnourishment, poverty and achieving sustainable development had become the biggest challenge in India. This challenge is further compounded by the vagaries of climate change, land degradation and loss of bio-diversity, he said. Dar pointed out that more than a billion people in the world go to bed hungry and millions of children in Asia are malnourished. India's 1.2 billion people account for 17% of the world's population and malnourishment among the children here varies from 50% to 92%.He said government still needs to deliver on commitments to invest in agriculture, food security and nutrition. "Talk has been thick but unmatched by action," he remarked. There is a need to look into the emerging relation between agriculture, nutrition and health on one hand, and food, water and energy on the other. By optimizing the use of resources and innovating, we can contribute to push for a sustainable and resilient 'green economy', he asserted. In India, the number of farm holdings is increasing but the size of agricultural farms is shrinking over the years. Agriculture accounts for 16% of the GDP, but continues to be the main source of livelihood for 60% of the population. Adding to the woes, students are shying away from agricultural colleges and universities. Experts and policy makers should make agriculture a profitable enterprise so that educated youth can take it up as a profession. Hailing the state government's initiative 'Bhoo Chetana', implemented in association with Icrisat, Dar said Karnataka had shown that a green

revolution is possible in dryland areas. However, there is a long way for agriculturists to go in the battle against poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition. During the second phase of 'Bhoo Chetana', Icrisat plans to cover 100% of rain-fed area which would help farmers enhance their productivity round the year.Gold medalists who were eagerly waiting for the momentous occasion of receiving their at the hands of Governor H R Bhardwaj were in for a disappointment as the governor did not make it for the event. Agriculture minister and pro-chancellor of the UAS Umesh Katti also could not come as the model code of conduct for polls is in force. UAS vice-chancellor R R Hanchinal presented the degrees and gold medals. The varsity conferred honorary Doctor of Science degree on Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) former secretary R S Paroda and Icrisat agronomist Richard Jones of UK. While Jones received the degree in person, the degree was conferred on Paroda in absentia. A total of 564 students including 42 PhDs, 275 postgraduates and 247 undergraduates were conferred with degrees. (Times of India 22/3/13) Food bill norms give contractors the edge (21) NEW DELHI: The government has provided a back-door entry for contractors and the food industry to corner the lucrative ICDS food supply budget through the National Food Security Bill - a move that had seen controversy earlier too but could now become part of the law if passed by Parliament. In a footnote to one of the three schedules of the bill, the government has provided that children between 6 months to 3 years, malnourished children between 6 months to 6 years and pregnant and lactating women would only get energy dense fortified foods - something only food companies and contractors can produce through centralized production units. If accepted, the food security bill could ensure that food companies and contractors get a legally guaranteed foothold in the business worth more than Rs 17,000 crore annually. The second schedule of the bill, which is to be tabled in the current session of Parliament, sets the nutritional standards for the food to be provided under the Integrated Child Development Scheme. The bill envisages that children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years should be provided take-home rations containing 500 kilo calories and 12-15 grams of proteins. Similarly, malnourished children between 6 months and 6 years of age should be provided 800 kilo calories and 20-25 grams of proteins. For pregnant and lactating mothers, the bill provides take-home rations containing 600 kilo calories and 18-20 grams of protein. But the catch lies in a footnote to the schedule of the bill. The note defines what 'take-home rations' are. The food security bill says take-home rations are 'energy dense food' fortified with micronutrients. Another note at the bottom of the schedule also enforces the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to any meal served. Only centralized food production units are capable of producing food that is fortified and which matches these standards. In 2004, the Supreme Court had passed an order banning the use of contractors in running of food schemes. This was reiterated in another order by the apex court in 2006. Then, the government put out new guidelines for the ICDS which included nutritional norms for the food to be supplied to children. The norms were so strict and finely detailed that it rendered it impossible for self-help groups and local groups to provide the rations under the scheme. The Supreme Court's food commissioners brought the guidelines to the apex court's notice, warning that the norms held the danger of opening the door to contractors. The court again reiterated its earlier orders banning contractors but gave a stamp of approval to the guidelines. The women and child development ministry informed the states that the norms had become part of the Supreme Court order and should be implemented. Some states got back to the Centre noting that the strict norms laying down micronutrient levels and other detailed standards could only be followed if the food was produced through a mechanized route. In another case before the Gujarat high court, some suppliers providing these rations took the position that they were not 'contractors' but original manufacturers and therefore did not fall foul of the apex court ruling of 2004. The Gujarat government brought the case before the apex court, which is yet to decide on the matter. In the meanwhile, in 2012, the principle advisor to the Supreme Court commissioners also reported another scam of contractors acting as self-help groups to take over the ICDS ration supply in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. This was brought to the court's notice in 2012.

As of now, many states allow pre-packaged food as part of the take-home rations under the ICDS scheme. The role of food companies and contractors could get cemented firmly by a legal mandate from Parliament to provide fortified packaged food daily in the name of take-home rations to millions of children under the government scheme if the bill is passed in its current shape. (Times of India 25/3/13)

Poverty drives woman to end life with 2 kids (21) MYSORE: Roopashree, who allegedly committed suicide after killing two of her children here on Sunday night, took the extreme step because of poverty, police said. She was found hanging at her rented house in Kuvempunagar. Police are searching for absconding husband Shankar, a native of Shravanabelagola in Hassan. Shankar has been booked for abetment of suicide. Krishnaraja sub-division ACP A N Prakashgowda said poverty drove her to commit suicide. She first hanged her 5-year-old daughter and then the son before hanging herself. Another son was with his father. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the couple was not in good terms. Shankar, a cook at a hotel in Kuvempunagar, often stayed at his parents' house, leaving wife and children at the rented house. Recently, Roopashree drew her landlord's ire for non-payment of rent for two months. According to police, Shankar borrowed money and paid the rent. But he continued to stay in Hassan along with his son. Unable to bear this, Roopashree took the extreme step. The incident came to light when Roopashree's parents came to their daughter's house, after the latter did not respond to their repeated phone calls. The funeral was held here on Monday. (Times of India 1/4/13) Malnutrition high among urban poor children in Coim batore (21) COIMBATORE: A door-to-door survey by World Vision, a global development and advocacy organisation, in 26 urban slums of Coimbatore has revealed that nearly half the children in these localities suffer from some form of malnutrition. The findings ( see box ) were presented during a nutrition training programme organised on Thursday (March 28) by Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), a Central Government-sponsored social welfare scheme, and World Vision for the Coimbatore Corporation Health Officials. The data is used by the organisation for its project to tackle child malnutrition, underway in Coimbatore since January. The survey also found that only one out of five pregnant women in these urban slums consumed the 100 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets during labour, which was necessary to tackle anaemia. This is a cause for concern as anaemia among pregnant women could lead to low birth weight and even possible stillbirth, says D. Manimekalai, Project Officer of ICDS, which was working with World Vision to combat child malnutrition. This cycle become self-perpetuating and difficult to break. “Besides economic factors, other reasons for high malnutrition among children in urban slums are unhygienic preparation of food, which could cause diarrhoea, and low levels of awareness on safe health practices,” she told The Hindu here on Saturday. The ICDS workers were weighing children below three years and all those found to be underweight were given nutritional supplements. K. Vetriselvan John, Programme Manager (Coimbatore), World Vision, around 900 families with children below five years and pregnant women were covered. The survey was conducted within the city limits in places such as Ukkadam, Venkidapuram, Balasubramanian Nagar, VH Road and Chairmanraj Nagar. It found that a huge majority of pregnant women preferred to approach Government health centres. Of the total women surveyed, 85 per cent had registered with primary health centres and rest with private clinics. Institutional delivery was found to be 100 per cent in these slums. Grana Pu Selvi from Integrated Programming – Child Health Division, World Vision India, who conducted the training programme, said that in India, nearly 75 per cent of children were anaemic, a figure that rises to 87 per cent in the case of pregnant women. Around 55 medical officers, public health nurses and urban health nurses took part in the training programme. The organisation, which has consultative status with UNESCO and partnerships with UN agencies such as United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organisation (WHO), was implementing the

Kangayam Area Development Programme, for the rural communities in Avinashi and Annur blocks of Coimbatore district for more than a decade. (The Hindu 1/4/13) Food Security Bill will eradicate hunger: Thomas (2 1) New Delhi, Apr 3 : Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister K.V. Thomas on Wednesday said Food Security Bill will eradicate hunger and malnutrition. "By providing food security to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population with focus on nutritional needs of children, pregnant and lactating women, the National Food Security Bill will revolutionize Food Distribution System," said Thomas. "It will lead to massive PDS reforms including doorstep delivery of food grains, end-to-end computerisation, leveraging 'aadhaar', etc. PDS will become more transparent and subject to grievance redressal at appropriate levels with provisions for penalties and compensation," he said. Thomas was addressing a special session on "India's food security and the second green revolution" at CII's annual general Meeting & National Conference here on Wednesday. Expressing hope that the National Food Security Bill will be passed by Parliament in the coming second part of the Budget Session, Thomas said that the day is not far off, when India will be known the world over for this important step towards eradication of hunger, malnutrition and resultant poverty. (New Kerala 3/4/13) UN voices concern over challenges of food insecurit y (21) New York, Apr 4 : While there has been significant progress in recent years in combating global hunger, food insecurity is still a major challenge and eliminating it will require strong leadership and concerted action, a top United Nations official stressed Thursday. "The only effective answer to food insecurity is political commitment at the national level, and reinforced at the regional and global levels by the international community of donors and international organizations," the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Jose Graziano da Silva, told a high-level meeting in Madrid on the UN vision for a post-2015 strategy against world hunger. One of the eight anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) seeks to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. Among the other Goals, to be achieved by 2015, are improving education, gender equality, child and maternal health and environmental stability. "The Millennium Development Goals have pushed us forward. But with 870 million people still suffering from hunger, the war against food insecurity is far from over," Graziano da Silva said. Since the world produces enough food to feed everyone, emphasis needs to be placed on access to food and to adequate nutrition at the local level, he underlined. Such progress will require significant public and private investment in rural areas, where over 70 per cent of the hungry live, and where millions of people depend on agriculture for food and employment. However, he warned that despite the primary responsibility of national governments to ensure their citizens are fed, Thursday's globalized economy means that no country acts alone. "Actions taken by one country or company may affect the food security of others [while] conflicts can lead to instability in neighboring countries and regions," Graziano da Silva said. "Impacts on environmental and natural resources are not purely national and it is virtually impossible to regulate markets and activities at the national level alone." Multilateral efforts are needed to reduce hunger and make development more sustainable, he said, citing the Committee on World Food Security and the Zero Hunger Challenge launched by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as successful examples of international cooperation. Public policies should also create opportunities for the most disadvantaged, including subsistence and small-scale producers, women, youth and indigenous people, he added. (New Kerala 6/4/13) 6,732 influential families got listed as BPL in Him achal (21) SHIMLA: Around 6,732 families of panchayati raj institution members have found their names included in the BPL list in Himachal Pradesh. After the issue of ineligible names being entered in the list, the government has now decided to revise the list by holding gram sabha meetings in all 3,243 panchayats of the state. BJP legislator Mahinder Singh had sought details of families of panchayat members, vice-

presidents and presidents of panchayats and block development committee (BDC) members selected under below poverty line (BPL). He had also asked whether their selection was done in the general house of panchayats and whether there is provision for this under the Panchayati Raj Act. In response, panchayati raj and rural development minister Anil Sharma had informed the state assembly in a written reply on Friday that at present 6,732 families of panchayat members, vice-presidents and presidents of panchayats and BDC members find mention in the BPL list. He said families included in the BPL list were recommended through gram sabhas. He also said that there is no provision to select or not to select families of panchayat members in the BPL list under the Panchayati Raj Act. Wrong selection of people in the BPL list has remained a major issue in Himachal Pradesh with legislators raising the issue during the current budget session. On March 15, Himachal Lokhit Party legislator Maheshwar Singh had pointed out shortcomings in the BPL list in the house and demanded measures to rectify these. Congress legislator Jagjivan Pal had also said in the house that ineligible persons were included in the BPL list during the previous BJP regime with the intervention of influential people. Replying to Maheshwar Singh, Sharma said it will be ensured that names of ineligible families wrongly included in the list are deleted and those meeting the criteria included and given benefits of government schemes for poor. He had also said that gram sabhas would be asked to adopt a more transparent mechanism. (Times of India 7/4/13) Give report on packed food for midday meal: House p anel (21) NEW DELHI: Nearly five years after the HRD ministry under the late Arjun Singh took a policy decision that packaged food would not be served to children under the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme, now the standing committee of Parliament has asked the ministry its views on the matter. The parliamentary panel has also asked if there is any research on serving readymade food to children under the scheme. In its reply, the HRD ministry has reiterated its earlier position and added that the proposed National Food Security Act (NFSA) has also endorsed serving hot cooked meal. The ministry said there is no research on providing readymade food to children under the programme. It said that during Singh's tenure Biscuit Manufacturers' Welfare Association (BMA) had requested the ministry to become a partner in the scheme. This request was endorsed by 28 MPs. The HRD ministry said BMA's request was examined after consulting National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad, and Food & Nutrition Board (FNB) of the ministry of women and child development. Both the institutions advised that biscuits cannot fulfill the dietary requirements because the snack — whether sweet or salty — are empty calories. "At best they are made of refined maida, sugar and hydrogenated fats, which cannot replace hot cooked meal. Moreover, 100 gram of biscuit provides only 6.5 grams of protein, which does not fulfill the nutrition norms fixed under the MDM scheme," the ministry told the standing committee. It was also pointed out that a human body needs at least 20 known vitamins, minerals and other protective substances that can be derived only from vegetables and fruits and not from few minerals added in biscuits. The ministry said during the state education secretaries' conference in 2007 the overwhelming view was there is no protein in biscuit because it consists only of maida (flour) and sugar and nutritionally biscuit will be unnecessary sugar in the body and could lead to obesity. Also, the possibility of pilferage and diversion of biscuits is much higher. Giving biscuits would also not serve the larger philosophy of bringing social equity. Giving biscuits as mid-day meal, the ministry said, would also be violation of Supreme Court's ruling that only hot cooked mid-day meal be served. (Times of India 12/4/13) World Bank to lend India upto $20 bn to fight pover ty (21) Washington: The World Bank has come out with a multi-billion ($12-20 billion) four-year plan aimed at bringing down poverty levels in seven low-income Indian states, where majority of India’s poor live, to just 5.5% in 2030 against 29.8% in 2010. The seven low-income states are Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The World Bank’s Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for India (2013-2017) proposing a lending programme of $3 billion to $5 billion each year over the next four years was discussed by its board of executive directors. Under the proposal, 60% of the

financing will go to state government-backed projects and half of this, or 30% of total lending, will go to low-income or special category states (where public services face high delivery costs). Under the previous strategy, 18% of lending went to these states. The proposal was announced for the first time by the World Bank president last week. In a statement, the Bank said its proposal would increase the share of people living above the threshold where they are at risk of falling back into poverty to 41.3% from 19.1%. If India were to grow as it did from 2005 to 2010 without making growth more inclusive, poverty would fall to only 12.3% while 33.6% would remain above the vulnerability threshold by 2030, the Bank said. “India’s seven low-income states, with 60% of India’s poor, are now growing faster than the average, and so investments there have the potential for greater impact,” said Onno Ruhl, World Bank country director in India. (Hindustan Times 13/4/13) Millions in Asia face starvation by 2050 due to glo bal warming (21) London: Millions of people in Asia and Africa may face the threat of starvation by 2050 as a result of extreme temperature globally, scientists warn. Many could become destitute in the two continents as staple foods more than double in price by 2050 as a result of extreme temperatures, floods and droughts. Experts said that rising temperatures will also have a drastic effect on access to basic foodstuffs, with potentially dire consequences for the poor, 'The Observer' reported. A US government-funded study of the fertile Lower Mekong basin in Asia, which includes Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, states that temperatures there could rise twice as much as previously expected, devastating food supplies for the 100 million people expected to live there by 2050. "We've found that this region is going to experience climate extremes in temperature and rainfall beyond anything that we expected", said Jeremy Carew-Reid, author of the Climate Change Adaptation and Impact Study for the Lower Mekong. "Food production will have to rise 60 per cent by 2050 just to keep pace with expected global population increase and changing demand. Climate change comes on top of that," Frank Rijsberman, head of the world's 15 international CGIAR crop research centres, which study food insecurity, said. The impending threat of global warming was discussed at two major food security summits being held in Ireland, organised by UN World Food Programme, the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change and the Mary Robinson Climate Justice foundation. "We are entering an uncertain and risky period. Climate change is the game changer that increases exposure to high and volatile food prices, and increases the vulnerability of the hungry poor, especially those living in conflict zones or areas of marginal agricultural productivity. "We must act quickly to protect the world's poorest people," Ertharin Cousin, the UN's World Food Programme director, said. (Indian Express 14/4/13) Food security bill designed for the economically we ak: Pawar (21) PUNE: Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on Sunday said that the proposed food security bill will change the face of the nation. He was speaking as the chief guest at the fourth convocation ceremony of D Y Patil Vidyapeeth in Pimpri. "The food security bill is designed for the economically weaker section of society. The government has decided to keep the rates of foodgrains minimal so that it would be affordable to them. For instance, the government proposes to sell wheat at Rs 1 per kg, jowar at Rs 2 per kg and rice at Rs 3 per kg. The government is willing to bear the financial burden," Pawar said. Champion of green revolution in India, prof M S Swaminathan, said that the proposed food security bill will cover at least 70% of the country's population. "Most of these people do not have a regular source of income but they would benefit from it," he said. Planning commission member K Kasturirangan, historian Babasaheb Purandare, P D Patil, president of the university, K B Powar, chancellor of the university and P N Razdan, its vice-chancellor were also present on the occasion. Swaminathan and Kasturirangan were honoured with doctor of science by the university. (Times of India 15/4/13) Tribes prefer mercy killing to starvation deaths: t ribal chief (21)

PALAKKAD: Koyan Moopan, chief of the Mooppan Council and former president of Pudur grama panchayat, has called upon the State government “for mercy killing of tribespeople of Attappady instead of driving them to starvation and malnutrition deaths.” Speaking at a protest meeting organised by the Akhila Kerala Gothra Mahasabha in front of the Integrated Tribal Development (ITDP) office at Agali in Attappady on Wednesday, he said “tribal children are dying due to malnutrition and anaemia. No steps have been taken to prevent these deaths in spite of the fact that the State and Central governments spend almost Rs.50 crore annually in Attappady in the name of tribal development.” He said tribespeople were starving as they had no employment. After the abrupt winding up of the Rs.219-crore eco-restoration and tribal empowerment programme of the Attappady Hill Area Development Society (AHADS) last year, the tribespeople were rendered jobless. Now the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) had also been stopped. This had resulted in the starvation of tribespeople in Attappady, he said. The drought situation had also deprived them employment in farm land in the area, he said. The Mooppan said “if the situation continued in this manner, the 29,000-strong tribal population in Attappady would get extinct soon. Hence, it would be better on the part of the government to resort to mass mercy killing of the tribes who were marginalised and isolated from the mainstream of society in Attappady,” he said. Inaugurating the meeting, the former Deputy Speaker Jose Baby said the State government had totally neglected the tribal people of Attappady. Despite a large number of deaths of tribal children, neither the Tribal Welfare Minister nor the Health Minister had bothered to visit Attappady to take steps to prevent the death of children. Not even the District Collector had visited the area so far. (The Hindu 18/4/13) India accounts for 33% of world poor: World Bank (2 1) WASHINGTON: India accounts for one-third of the world poor, people living on less than USD 1.25 (about Rs 65) per day, a World Bank report on poverty has said. The report said that 1.2 billion people still living in extreme poverty across the world. "The State of the Poor: Where are the Poor and Where are the Poorest?," using data released in the latest World Development Indicators, shows that extreme poverty headcount rates have fallen in every developing region between 1981 and 2010 from half the citizens in the developing world to 21 per cent. This despite a 59 per cent increase in the developing world population. However, a new analysis of extreme poverty released today by the World Bank shows that there are still 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty, and despite recent impressive progress, Sub-Saharan Africa still accounts for more than one-third of the world's extreme poor. "We have made remarkable progress in reducing the number of people living under USD 1.25 a day in the developing world, but the fact that there are still 1.2 billion people in extreme poverty is a stain on our collective conscience," said World Bank group president Jim Yong Kim. "This figure should serve as a rallying cry to the international community to take the fight against poverty to the next level. Our analysis and our advice can help guide the way toward ending extreme poverty by 2030, by showing where the poor live and where poverty is deepest," he said. "We have made strides in cutting down poverty, but with nearly one-fifth of the world population still below the poverty line, not enough," said Kaushik Basu, World Bank senior vice president and chief economist. "Directing investment towards the poor will require coordinated effort by the Bank, our country partners, and the international development community, and will, let's face it, entail sacrifice on the part of those who are fortunate enough to be better off," Basu said. According to the report, after steadily increasing from 51 per cent in 1981 to 58 per cent in 1999, the extreme poverty rate fell 10 percentage points in Sub Saharan Africa between 1999 and 2010 and is now at 48 per cent--an impressive 17 per cent decline in one decade. In Latin American Countries, after remaining stable at approximately 12 per cent for the last two decades of the 20th century, extreme poverty was cut in half between 1999 and 2010 and is now at 6 per cent. However, despite its falling poverty rates, Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region in the world for which the number of poor individuals has risen steadily and dramatically between 1981 and 2010. There are more than twice as many extremely poor people living in SSA today (414 million) than there were three decades ago (205 million). As a result, while the extreme

poor in SSA represented only 11 per cent of the world's total in 1981, they now account for more than a third of the world's extreme poor. (Times of India 19/4/13) World Bank aims to end extreme poverty by 2030 (21) WASHINGTON: The World Bank governors have endorsed a proposal to eliminate extreme poverty around the world over the next 17 years, the World Bank Group said in statement. The proposal, put forward by World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, sets an ambitious goal to reduce the number of people living on $1.25 a day to 3 percent or less of the world's population by 2030. The World Bank's 25-member Development Committee, which meets twice a year during the World Bank/IMF spring and annual meetings, also confirmed the Group's vision to promote shared prosperity - fostering income growth of the bottom 40 percent of the population in every country. Jim Yong Kim, who was elected as head of the World Bank last year, welcomed the support by the bank's governors by saying that the World Bank Group has a "historic opportunity" to help end extreme poverty within a generation. "This endorsement is an important step. If we succeed, together, we would have accomplished an historic milestone," Kim said in closing remarks at the meeting of the Development Committee. A report released by the World Bank earlier this week showed that there were still 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty, with Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for more than one-third of the world's extreme poor. (New Indian Express 22/4/13) Govt likely to convene all-party meet on Food Secur ity Bill (21) New Delhi: Government is likely to convene an all-party meeting soon on the ambitious Food Security Bill before it is taken up in Parliament. "We are planning to convene an all-party meeting before taking up for further proceedings. It is likely to be held in a day or two," a Minister, who did not want to be identified, told PTI. The National Food Security Bill gives the right to food to around 67 percent of India's 1.2 billion population. The Government's move to hold such a meeting came in the backdrop of opposition parties including the Left demanding that the legislation be sent to the standing committee or a joint select committee of Parliament as their several concerns are not addressed. The Government tried to bring the bill in the first half of Budget session of Parliament, but it did not materialise due to differences. The Cabinet had given its nod to the modified Food Security Bill in March. According to it, about 62 million tonne of foodgrains would be required to implement the bill, while the food subsidy is estimated at Rs. 1,24,747 crore at 2013-14 costs, which is Rs. 23,800 crore higher than the existing level. The beneficiaries would be decided by state governments, while the criteria to exclude 33 percent of the population would be provided by the Planning Commission. In the original Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2011, the Centre had proposed 7 kg of rice or wheat or millet a month for priority category at Rs. 3, Rs. 2 and Re 1 per kg respectively, while at least 3 kg per person per month for general households at 50 percent of the support price. (Hindustan Times 23/4/13) Hunger deaths cast a cloud on Kerala district (21) Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy said on Tuesday his government was expected to take a decision shortly on Attapadi, a malnutrition-afflicted tribal hamlet in Palakkad district below the Nilgiri hills of the Western Ghats. According to the district health office of Palakkad, 14 malnutrition-related deaths have taken place in the past four months, but NGOs working with the tribals say more than 40 children died in the past three months alone. A random survey of 700 men and women by the Kerala health department and the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) said 483 were suffering from severe malnutrition and anemia. State social welfare minister MK Muneer, who visited the hills on Monday, said: “Some government agencies failed to report the ground situation. Food supplements will be distributed immediately.” (Hindustan Times 24/4/13) Implement NRLM in Himachal to attain Zero level in poverty (21)

Dharamshala, Apr 26 : The Central Government had attached highest priority to poverty alleviation and was working purposefully to improve the quality of public system and delivery of public service for employment generation and rural prosperity. Stating this here today Dr Pardeep Kumar HoD Economics, MCM DAV College Kangra and life member Indian Economic Association told UNI that during the 6th five year plan eradication of poverty was given top most priority and till the end of 12th five year Plan by 2017 government aims at bringing down the poverty by 10 per cent. Dr Pardeep said according to the latest economic survey the poverty ration was 29.8 per cent during 11th five year plan by 2010. He said the government was trying to put earnest efforts to reduce the poverty but it was not reducing with desired rate. He said that no doubt the poverty was declining but the reduction rate was poor. He said in order to combat the poverty National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), a multi- pronged strategy for poverty reduction in a time bound manner by providing sustainable livelihood through various means to rural population below the poverty line was launched on June 24, 2010. He said the primary goal of the Mission was to saturate mobilization of poor communities into Self Help Groups in a time bound manner and the Mission would be, learn and in due course of time, upscale productive partnership between the people and the Government institutions. Dr Pardeep said the budget for NRLM in the 11th five year plan was Rs 16,400 crores and the target was to create ten lakh self help groups during the last two years of the 11th plan. He said that proposal was to impart training to 17 lakh poor youths for skill development. The Economist said if NRLM was implemented in various states effectively then the poverty would reduce by 10 percent in 12th Five year Plan by 2017 as aimed by the government. He said that poverty ratio in India 29.8 percent while in Himachal Pradesh it was 9.5 percent, Punjab 15.9 percent and Haryana 20.1 percent. Dr Pardeep suggested in view of the poverty ration in Himachal Pradesh was lowest in comparison to national average and average of Punjab and Haryana, if NRLM was implemented in this hill state the target to push down poverty to zero level could also be achieved here. (New Kerala 27/4/13) Only 26.7 per cent below poverty line by 2015: Pura ndeswari (21) Bangkok: India today said that with continuous and concerted efforts, people living below poverty line will be down to 26.7 per cent by 2015, but improving sanitation facilities in the country still remains a challenge. The visiting Minister of State for Commerce and Industry of India, Dr Dagubatti Purandeswari told the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) meet here that for a country with a population of 1.2 billion people, targeted poverty reduction was manifest in programmes such the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), the biggest programme of its kind in the world. "We are now implementing innovative technology-enabled schemes to deliver benefits directly to targeted people through direct cash transfers, linked to a unique identity project called 'Adhaar', which has created the world's largest biometric database" she said, during a discussion on 'Sustainable Development and the Development Agenda beyond 2015', at ESCAP's 69th Annual session here. Purandeswari stressed that by 2015 India should be able to bring the percentage of population below the poverty-line to about 26.7 per cent, which is close to Millennium Development Goals (MDG) target of 23.9 per cent. She noted that compared to 1990, India has half the number of houses without access to safe drinking water. "We are hopeful of achieving the near complete provision of safe drinking water in both rural and urban sectors by 2015," she said. However, she admitted that improved sanitation facilities remained a challenge for India. The minister emphasised that India firmly believed that the focus on its post-2015 development agenda must remain focused on poverty eradication, as agreed to by all parties at the 'Rio+20' summit as the greatest of all global challenges. "The most significant strength of the MDGs was their simplicity. Consequently, the post-2015 Agenda must be simple and practical and implementable. It is important not to overburden the agenda with a 'laundry list' of the world's problems," she said. She said the post-2015 framework should apply both to developed and developing countries so as to create a more equitable set of responsibilities and obligations. Purandeswari noted that it was also important to focus on a conducive global economic environment by rebuilding the global financial infrastructure. The minister said it was important to

distinguish between South-South Cooperation and North-South Flows. "The two cannot be placed at the same pedestal nor can the same yardsticks be applied to evaluate the two. The rising contribution of the South must not be a premise for the North to withdraw from its obligations and commitments," Purandeswari said. (Zee News 29/4/13)

UN launches initiative to achieve 'zero hunger' (21 ) New York, Apr 30 : The United Nations has launched the Zero Hunger Challenge in Asia and the Pacific, calling on governments, farmers, scientists, business, civil society and consumers to work together to end hunger in the region where the majority of the world's undernourished people live. "Sustainable development and inclusive growth will not happen on empty stomachs," said Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). "It is unacceptable that in the 21st century, with all of our technological and agricultural expertise, more than 870 million people globally wake up hungry every morning, try to find the energy to make a living for their families through the day, and then still go to bed hungry at night," she added. First proposed at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Brazil last June, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Zero Hunger Challenge aims for a future where every individual has adequate nutrition. Its five objectives are to make sure that everyone in the world has access to enough nutritious food all year long; to end childhood stunting; to build sustainable food systems; to double the productivity and income of smallholder farmers, especially women; and to prevent food from being lost or wasted. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one in every eight people in Asia and the Pacific suffers from chronic hunger, and nearly two-thirds of the world's chronically hungry people live in the region. "We cannot rest while so many people go hungry in a world where there is enough food for all," Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said at the regional launch of the campaign, which took place as ESCAP kicked off its 69th session in Bangkok. Halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger is one of the eight anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that world leaders have pledged to achieve by 2015, along with improving education, gender equality, child and maternal health and environmental stability. "The MDGs have been the most successful global anti-poverty drive in history. But there are still many gaps," Mr. Eliasson said in his remarks to the session, noting, among other things, that one billion people worldwide do not have enough to eat. "With less than 1,000 days until the end of 2015, the agreed deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, I urge you to seize the opportunity of this Commission session to scale-up action to accelerate our efforts, be they national, regional or global."He added that the range of issues before the Commission is both "exciting and challenging" - from charting new development paths to building resilience to natural disasters, and from promoting social protection to accelerating economic integration and South-South trade. "These are the key issues which will shape the region's promising future, strengthen its human and natural capital and ensure its central role, not only in the global economy, but also in forging a better, more sustainable world for all." The theme of the Commission's current session, which concludes on 1 May, is "Building resilience to natural disasters and major crises," with discussions focusing on the many challenges to inclusive, sustainable and resilient growth in the region, particularly economic shocks and increasingly severe and frequent natural disasters. (Zee News 1/5/13) Somalia famine killed 258,000, half of them young c hildren: Report (13) NAIROBI: Almost 260,000 people, half of them young children, died of hunger during the last famine in Somalia, according to a UN report on Thursday which admitted the world body should have done more to prevent the tragedy. The toll is much higher than was feared at the time of the 2010-2012 food crisis in the troubled Horn of Africa country and also exceeds the 220,000 who starved to death in the 1992 famine. "The report confirms we should have done more before the famine was declared," said Philippe Lazzarini, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia. "Warnings that began as far back as the drought in

2010 did not trigger sufficient early action," he said in a statement. Half of those who died were children under five, according to the joint report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the US-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network. "Famine and severe food insecurity in Somalia claimed the lives of about 258,000 people between October 2010 and April 2012, including 133,000 children under five," said the report, the first scientific estimate of how many died. Somalia was the hardest hit by extreme drought in 2011 that affected over 13 million people across the Horn of Africa. "An estimated 4.6 percent of the total population and 10 percent of children under five died in southern and central Somalia," the report said, saying the deaths were on top of 290,000 "baseline" deaths during the period, and double the average for sub-Saharan Africa. Lazzarini said that about 2.7million people are still in need of life- saving assistance and support to build their livelihoods. Famine was first declared in July 2011 in Somalia's Southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions, but later spread to other areas, including Middle Shabelle, Afgoye and inside camps for displaced people in war-ravaged Mogadishu. In Lower Shabelle 18 percent of children under five died, the report said. The United Nations declared the famine over in February 2012. During the famine, it was feared that tens of thousands had died, whereas the report now shows more people died than in Somalia's 1992 famine, when an estimated 220,000 people died over a year. Famine implies that at least a fifth of households face extreme food shortages, with acute malnutrition in over 30 percent of people, and two deaths per 10,000 people every day, according to the UN definition. Somalia, ravaged by nearly uninterrupted civil war for the past two decades, is one of the most dangerous places in the world for aid workers and one of the regions that needs them most. However, security has slowly improved in recent months, with Islamist fighters linked to Al-Qaeda on the back foot despite launching a deadly bombing campaign. At the time, most of the famine-hit areas were under their control, and the crisis was exacerbated by their draconian ban on most foreign aid agencies. The aid agency Oxfam said the "deaths could and should have been prevented"."Famines are not natural phenomena, they are catastrophic political failures," Oxfam's Somalia director Senait Gebregziabher said in a statement. "The world was too slow to respond to stark warnings of drought, exacerbated by conflict in Somalia and people paid with their lives." Over a million Somalis are refugees in surrounding nations, and another million displaced inside the country. Next Tuesday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and British Prime Minister David Cameron will co-host a conference in London to discuss how the international community can support Somalia's progress. More than 50 countries and organisations are due to take part. Oxfam said leaders should "ensure that this was Somalia's last famine" by helping generate jobs and "ensuring trained, accountable security forces". (Times of India 3/5/13) FM calls for strengthening of ADB to fight poverty (21) Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram called for strengthening of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and said that in order to combat poverty in the Asian region, nations must increase their contribution. While addressing ADB's 46th annual meeting on Saturday in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, Chidambaram appealed to the Asian countries to be more generous in order to eradicate poverty. Chidambaram lauded ADB's remarkable growth in the past few decades as he highlighted that Asia still faces many developmental challenges by adding population of more than 800 million people living in absolute poverty and growing inequality. (Indian Express 4/5/13) Failure to push Food Bill in Parliament unfortunate : Sen (21) Noble laureate Amratya Sen today said it is unfortunate that government has not been able to push through the Food Security Bill that sought to provide subsidised foodgrains to people below poverty line. "It is unfortunate that we are not able to pass the Food Security Bill because Parliament is not able to meet", he said during a seminar at the ADB annual meet here. He further said the country needs to set its priority right and focus on the real issues concerning the people. "We have to think about getting our priorities right," Sen said. The government, which had introduced Food Security Bill in the Lok Sabha in 2011, could not get it passed with the opposition stalling the proceedings in the House over some issue or

the other. The proposed Food Bill, the UPA government's ambitious social welfare programme, aims to provide legal right over subsidised foodgrains to 67 per cent of the population. It seeks to provide a provide uniform allocation of 5 kg foodgrains (per person) at fixed rate of of Rs 3 (rice), Rs 2 (wheat) and Rs 1 (coarse grains) per kg to 67 per cent of the country's population. (Business Standard 4/5/13) Food security bill in limbo as govt, BJP in war of words (21) New Delhi: Government and the BJP were today engaged in a war of words over the food security bill pending for consideration in Lok Sabha since last week. While government accused BJP of creating obstacles in the passage of a bill "which seeks to end hunger," the Opposition party said it would prefer to end Congress' "hunger for ill-gotten money" before pasing the ambitious legislation. "The UPA believes that hunger should be removed and food security be ensured. It is extremely sad and most unfortunate that certain sections of the Opposition believe that it is not hunger that should be removed, but it is the hungry who should be removed," information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari told reporters outside Parliament House. He said a bill which seeks to provide 67% of the people with food security is being "sacrificed on the altar of political opportunism." Asked whether government could promulgate an ordinance on the food bill if it is not passed in the Budgest session, Tewari said when the session is in progress, he would not like to refer to an ordinance. "We want the bill to be passed after a discussion. While some parties have constructive views on it, the party which calls itsself major opposition party is politicising the issue," he said. Hitting back at Tewari, BJP general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy said while his party is willing to get important legislations passed, it would first like to end Congress' "hunger for ill-gotten money" before passing the food bill. "Yes, we want to end the hunger of the people. But before that we want to end their (Congress') hunger for ill-gotten money," Rudy said in an apparent attack on railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal - involved in a controversy over arrest of his nephew while allegedly accepting a bribe for a plum posting in the Railway Board. (Hindustan Times 7/5/13) South moving ahead of North in socio-economic param eters (21) The widening gulf in terms of per capita income and poverty between the south and the north seems to have occurred only after 1987. By 2010, the gap in the weighted per capita income of the south and the north had grown by over 118 per cent compared to the 39 per cent gap that had existed in prior decades. These and many other intriguing aspects are the findings of a study by Samuel Paul and Kala S Sridhar of the Public Affairs Centre (PAC) in Bangalore. According to the study, the total poverty rates in the south had declined to 19 per cent in 2009-10, much below those of the north (where it declined to 38 per cent). Presently, the migration of southerners to the north has declined while northerners are moving in large numbers to the south in search of work. There is thus a clear evidence of a significant turnaround. What explains this transformation of the southern states? According to the study, from the time of Independence, the south has been ahead of the north in literacy, infant mortality, life expectancy, fertility rate and other factors that contribute to greater productivity. There is also evidence that the quality of governance and leadership was somewhat better in the south as is clear from the longer tenure of chief ministers (political stability), and better law and order (police firings, the proportion of civil police, ratio of pending cases in court). The South was also ahead in terms of technical education, tele-density, power and urbanisation. More than half of all engineering colleges in the country are in the South. The study by the PAC has some important lessons for our leaders. What is often reported is that per capita incomes in the south (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala) have risen faster and poverty has declined faster in recent years. As of 2009-10, on an average, the weighted per capita income in the southern states [in constant (1993-94) prices] was Rs 19,531 whereas it was only Rs 8,951 in the northern states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh). In 2009-10, the average (weighted) poverty rate (combined for rural and urban areas) in the four southern states was 19 per cent, but 38 per cent in the northern states. The study points out what only a few are aware only 50 years ago the South had higher rural poverty rates (66 per cent in 1960)

than in the Hindi heartland (55 per cent in 1960). Young people from the south were migrating to the North in search of employment. Economic growth rates of the southern region were not very different from those of the north, though in terms of per capita income, the south was somewhat ahead of the north. However, there is no room for complacency here. The southern region's per capita income is still low by international standards, says the study, though it's higher than that of North. Better governance facilitated these factors and enabled the state to more efficiently utilise scarce resources. .. (Business Standard 8/5/13) Centre to come up with NULM policy soon: Ajay Maken (21) The Central Government would soon come up with a new policy of National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) to alleviate poverty in urban areas, Union Minister Ajay Maken said here today. Maken, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, is on a two-day visit to the Andhra Pradesh capital to study and review the urban poverty alleviation programmes in urban areas implemented by the state government. He visited the Indra Nagar Slum at Kapra Municipality here and interacted with Urban Self Help Groups and Town Level, Slum Level Federation Members and also the office of Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA), an official release said. The minister reviewed the Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) programmes and interacted with the women members. He said he was impressed by the way women members belonging to slum areas have been organised. The model developed by Government of Andhra Pradesh can be replicated in the entire country for the empowerment of women and Socio-Economic development of the families of poor people living in urban areas, the release said. The Centre would pass a legislation in ensuing Parliament session on Street Vendors Livelihoods Protection to benefit 95 lakh street vendors in the country. The street vendors will be provided free vending places of 2.5 per cent of the urban areas and they will be supported with financial linkage through the banks and protection given to make business without any harassment, the minister said. Another important programme of the Centre will be Rajiv Awas Yojana, under which urban infrastructure will be developed and housing provided to the occupants in the slum areas, the Union Minister said during the interaction. Andhra Pradesh Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development M Maheedhar Reddy highlighted the number of steps taken for urban poverty alleviation and requested the Union Minister to support the state by allocating required funds for effective implementation of Rajiv Awas Yojana and other programmes, the release added. (Business Standard 11/5/13) Rice at Re.1 per kg for poor families in Karnataka Bangalore: Thirty kg of rice per month will be sold at Re.1 per kg for BPL (below poverty line) families across Karnataka from June 1, newly sworn-in state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced here Monday. "The subsidised rice scheme will benefit 9.82 million (98 lakh) BPL families living in rural and urban areas and will cost the exchequer Rs.460 crore (Rs.4.6 billion)," Siddaramaiah told reporters at Vidhana Soudha soon after assuming office. Asserting that the promises made in the Congress's election manifesto were not empty but a commitment to the people of the state, the new chief minister said all the policies and programmes would be implemented during the next four years. "We will ensure to implement all the promises made in the manifesto in the next four years. Some of them will be included in the state budget which we will present for this fiscal next month," Siddaramaiah added. (Deccan Herald 13/5/13) Subsidised grain for non-poor families to continue (21) New Delhi, May 16 : The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) Thursday approved the continued allocation of subsidised grain to above poverty line families during 2013-14 under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), an official statement said. Expecting sufficient stocks of foodgrains in the central pool, the CCEA approved additional allocation of 41.89 lakh tonnes of wheat and 19.84 lakh tonnes of rice at APL issue prices to states and union territories (UTs). This will ensure a minimum 15 kg

per family per month in 22 states/UTs and 35 kg per family per month in 13 other states - Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh and UTs of Lakshdweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said the statement. As on April 1, 2013, the total stocks of food grain in the central pool was 596.75 lakh tonnes comprising 354.68 lakh tonnes of rice and 242.07 lakh tonnes of wheat. The procurement during the year is expected to be 401.3 lakh tonnes for rice and 441.21 lakh tonnes for wheat, said officials. (New Kerala 16/5/13) Mother on indefinite fast after two kids die due to starvation (21) Varanasi, May 16 : The mother of two children, who died due to alleged starvation, is on an indefinite fast since the past three days demanding financial compensation from the Uttar Pradesh government. Four-year-old Mohammed Murtaza died on May 9 and his sister Shamim Parveen,14, the next day. Their mother, Nazra Khatun, a weaver, is on fast along with her other two children in Nazardiha locality here. Nazra said today that she will withdraw her fast only after the government accepts her demand of financial compensation and permanent solution of their problems. Nazra's husband, Abdul Khaliq, died 10 months ago due to malnutrition. He was unable to pay bills for his medical treatment. While the district administration says that the children died of tuberculosis, human rights activists allege that the deaths were due to hunger and malnutrition. 'Both children died due to extreme poverty,' says Mukhtar Ahmed, owner of the loom where Abdul Khaliq worked. 'Nazra, mother of the four children, worked at my loom weaving sarees. She earned Rs 25 to Rs 50 every day and was dependent on her neighbours financially. The children searched for food in garbage dumps.' But the district administration of Varanasi has denied that the deaths took place due to starvation. 'Two doctors examined the bodies of the children and certified that both were suffering from tuberculosis. After all, we have to accept what is being diagnosed by the doctors,' said Additional DM of Varanasi, Mangal Prasad Singh. (New Kerala 17/5/13) Steps taken to prevent infant deaths (21) PALAKKAD: The departments concerned are taking all steps to prevent the death of infants in the tribal hamlets of Attappady in Palakkad district, P.V. Radhakrishnan, Project Officer, Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP), has said. Steps had been taken to prevent malnutrition deaths. As many as 849 tribal women were found to be anaemic at a medical camp held at the Kottathara Tribal Specialty Hospital on April 20. Medicine kits had been given to them, he said in a press release issued here on Thursday. At least three mobile medical units were conducting camps in the tribal hamlets. ‘Asha’ workers were distributing medical kits provided by the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). At the Kottathara hospital, one gynaecologist and four staff nurses had been appointed on contract. Two staff nurses had been posted at the Public Health Centre, Agali. Instructions had been issued to appoint Junior Public Health Nurses at all health sub-centres and Rs.50 lakh had been earmarked to revive 25 health centres, the release said. The Department of Social Welfare had appointed five Supervisors and a Project Officer for the Integrated Child Development Project. Anganwadis were providing milk, eggs, and plantain to children in all the grama panchayts in Attappady. ‘Safala’ kit were also being given to adolescent girls. The Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation had been supplying food articles to Anganwadis in place of contractors. The above poverty line cards of tribal people were being converted as below poverty line ones, Mr. Radhakrishanan said in the release. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) had been restarted in Attappady, the release said. (The Hindu 19/5/13) Afghan team visit district poverty initiative proje ct sites in MP (21) BHOPAL: A study team of Afghanistan's rural development and rehabilitation ministry visited site of district poverty initiative project (DPIP) projects in Madhya Pradesh, according to a press release here on Monday. During the two-day visit it apprised itself of livelihood augmentation and socio-economic changes through women's self-help groups and gram utthan samitis at DPIP's state unit. It was led by

Sushri Naila Ahmad, a World Bank representative. He said that informed that Afghanistan rural development project and national solidarity programme are being implemented in Afghanistan. The study team from Afghanistan has come to Madhya Pradesh and other places in connection with chalking out designs for next phases of these programmes. The study team will utilise experiences, learning, innovation and results of DPIP projects for chalking out these programmes. It was informed in the presentation of DPIP that its target has been achieved by forming over 30,000 self-help groups linking some 3.46 lakh women. Monitoring and evaluation coordinator Manoj Saxena informed in the presentation that 18 producer companies have been formed under a novel effort. Of these, 15 companies are agriculture-based, which are benefiting small farmers. These companies have over 46,000 shareholders with turnover of over Rs 43 crore. (Times of India 21/5/13) Food, law bills to be Cong’s main weapons in 2014 (21) NEW DELHI: UPA entered the home stretch on Wednesday by making it clear that it was looking at passage of legislations crafted to provide food security, a huge jump in compensation for land acquired and implementation of direct benefits transfer scheme as its main ammunition for the 2014 battle. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi gave a strong indication of the party's intent at a function organized to mark the fourth anniversary of the ruling coalition by an attack on the BJP for blocking the passage of food security and land acquisition legislations by not letting Parliament function. She accused the BJP of keeping Parliament from fulfilling its constitutional role and democratic obligation, as well as of spurning repeated pleas for cooperation. Sonia also appealed to the opposition to ensure passage of the bills, saying these were not partisan issues but affected the livelihood of millions. There was little doubt that the coalition was committed to secure passage of the bills in the monsoon session of Parliament irrespective of what stance BJP takes. "These bills affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of whom we are committed to," the Congress chief said even as she sought support of the opposition. There are also indications that Congress, even as it seeks BJP's support, may not run away from a fight that can help showcase its "commitment" to the poor and farmers. Both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath discounted the suggestion that the government may promulgate ordinances to get around the resistance from BJP. "The intention is to pass the legislations through acts of Parliament," Singh told reporters at the anniversary event. Nath also discounted the possibility of a short session of Parliament being called exclusively for passage of the two legislations: something which also explained the anxious wait at the bash for representatives of the Samajwadi Party which, with 22 members in Lok Sabha, will be crucial for the government's plans. Sonia also said that besides the twin legislations, the direct benefits transfer scheme will be an important part of UPA's armoury for 2014. "Apart from the legislations we need to get passed, we must impart new energy in some areas, for instance, the 'aapka paisa aapke haath' initiative that uses cutting edge technology to make sure that funds and subsidies reach only those for whom they are meant," she said. Congress strategists are looking at direct benefits transfer as a vote spinner, expecting it to yield the same type of dividends that the farm loan waiver and, to a lesser extent, the national rural employment guarantee scheme did for the party in 2009. The moniker 'aapka paisa aapke haath' is significant because of the reference to Congress's "hand" symbol. (Times of India 23/5/13) India’s growth strategy holds lessons for developin g nations’ (21) India’s strategy of fuelling growth with market-based policies and eradicating poverty by “growing the pie rather than slicing it” holds lessons for other developing countries, two eminent Indian-American economists have said. Jagdish Bhagwati senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and Arvind Panagariya, Columbia University professor, in a new book, have demonstrated how growth was the strategy successfully deployed to reduce poverty in India. However, further reforms in labour and land markets are essential to translate growth into more employment, they argue in the new CFR book, Why Growth Matters: How Economic Growth in India Reduced Poverty and the Lessons for Other Developing

Countries. Official poverty estimates provided by the Planning Commission show the proportion of the population below the poverty line in India decreased 17 per cent in two decades, from 44.5 per cent in 1983 to 27.5 per cent in 2004-2005, they noted. “We cannot emphasise enough that our analysis, while it is addressed to India’s development experience and underlines the centrality of growth in reducing poverty, has clear lessons for aid and development agencies, as well as NGOs that continually work to affect poverty all over the world,” Bhagwati and Panagariya were quoted as saying in the book by New York Daily News. And while growth generates revenues to provide health and education, “Doors need to be opened wider to the private sector in higher education as well, to permit better access for the massive population of the young,” they said. However, India’s strong 8.2 per cent growth in the last decade can in part be attributed to the country’s poverty-reduction reforms, the authors said. Thus only one strategy will help the poor to any significant effect, economic growth, led by markets overseen and encouraged by liberal State policies, Bhagwati and Panagariya argued. Keywords: India growth strategy, poverty reduction, book by Jagdish Bhagwati, Arvind Panagariya, Columbia University professor, Jagdish Bhagwati senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, 'Why Growth Matters: How Economic Growth in India Reduced Poverty and the Lessons for Other Developing Countries', (Business Line 25/5/13) UN report highlights benefits of school meal progra mmes (21) New York: A United Nations report released on Saturday stresses the importance of providing meals for schoolchildren, particularly in times of crisis, and notes that this is still lacking in many developing countries. "School feeding assures that where quality education is available, children are able to take advantage of the opportunity to learn," said executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Ertharin Cousin. "It's an investment that pays off in the future with better-educated, stronger and healthier adults and its also a critical safety net to prevent the most vulnerable from suffering in times of crisis," she said. India is among the countries where in most states children from underprivileged sections of the community are provided nutritious noon meals especially in government and government-aided schools, as part of the popular Midday Meal Scheme, a programme launched in 1960 by the then chief minister of Tamil Nadu K Kamaraj to prevent school drop outs and increase attendance. Until then, poor parents considered school going children as a burden and employed them in menial jobs denying them the right to education. The State of School Feeding Worldwide report, produced by WFP, provides a global analysis of school feeding programmes in developed and developing nations, as well as data on how governments use school meals as a crisis safety net. According to WFP, around 368 million children - about one in five - get a meal at school every day in 169 developing and developed countries. But despite the global nature of school feeding, the coverage of these programmes is lowest where most needed. In low-income countries, only 18 percent receive a daily meal at school, compared to nearly 49 percent of children in middle-income countries. Global investment in these programmes is about USD 75 billion, with most coming from government budgets. While this may seem like a large investment, the benefits are even greater as the report states that for every USD 1 spent by governments and donors, at least USD 3 is gained in economic returns. Over the past five years, at least 38 countries have scaled up their school feeding programmes in response to a crisis, whether related to food prices, conflict, natural disaster or financial volatility. "During the food and fuel crises in 2008 many governments struggled to protect the most vulnerable from hunger and looked to school meals to achieve that. In the current recession, even wealthy nations are examining how school meals can prevent families from sliding deeper into poverty and hunger," said the report's lead author Carmen Burbano. WFP has been operating school meals programmes in developing countries for almost 50 years. In 2012, the agency provided meals or nutritious snacks in school for 24.7 million children in 63 countries, including take-home rations for 1.3 million girls and 500,000 boys - providing an incentive for poor families to keep their children in class, rather than pull them out to work in the fields, factories or homes. (Zee News 25/5/13)

UN food agency officials call for hunger eliminatio n by 2025 (21) Beijing, Jun 1 : Officials of the United Nations food agencies called for food security and nutrition to be placed at the center of the international agenda for African development, and hunger to be eliminated by 2025. "The world has reduced the number of hungered people we've been doing (statistics) since 1990 to date from more than 1 billion to 870 million, but we still have obstacles," said director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Jose Graziano Da Silva, at a press conference held by the FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural development (IFAD) and the World Food Program (WFP) during the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V). Ertharin Cousin, executive director of the WFP, called for special attention to improving global food security and empowering rural women, addressing gender inequalities and enabling them to transform their own lives and the lives of their families and communities. According to the heads from the three organizations, the most effective key to reversing hunger and poverty in developing countries lay in responsible investment by governments and the private sector in sustainable agricultural and rural development. They pointed out that in sub-Saharan Africa, GDP growth generated by agriculture had been shown to be eleven times more effective in reducing poverty than GDP growth in other sectors. They also agreed that reduction of hunger, malnutrition and extreme poverty should remain at the core of the post-2015 agenda, following the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals. (New Kerala 1/6/13) Advance monsoon session of parliament to pass food security bill: BJP (21) New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said the monsoon session of Parliament should be preponed or advanced to pass both the food security bill and the land acquisition bill. "Instead of calling a special session, the monsoon session should be preponed or advanced. We are open to a debate," said BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi. "We are in favour of having detailed discussions on the food security and land acquisition bills, and the opposition inputs are important," she added. Echoing similar sentiments, BJP spokesperson Captain Abhimanyu accused the UPA Government of not being serious about passing the food security bill. "BJP believes UPA Government has never been serious on the food security bill. It has been four years now; the poor are dying of hunger. Now, when the elections are near, they want to bring it. We will give our good suggestions in parliament," he added. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, however, avoided commenting on the Food Security Bill, as he will be participating in a UPA coordination committee meeting related to the subject later this evening. Janata Dal-United president Sharad Yadav said the UPA Government appeared to have ulterior motives in discussing the possibility of calling for or holding a special session of parliament to discuss and debate the food security bill and the land acquisition bill. "They (UPA) want to stay in power. We will look into the food security bill. It is the government's choice to call a monsoon session early, they can. The land acquisition bill and the food security bill should be tabled on the first day of the monsoon session of parliament. This issue should be resolved," said Yadav. BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy said that the food security bill should be converted into law, and not be pushed through by the government in the form of an ordinance. "The bill caters need of poor. Bill should not be in the form of an ordinance. The monsoon session can be preponed to discuss the bill," Rudy said. Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Brinda Karat questioned the government's urgency now in wanting to pass the food security and land acquisition bills, saying both bills have been pending for passage for the past four years. Specifically talking about the food security bill, Karat said: " They (the government) had no worries for the past four years. This bill should be discussed in the monsoon session. This bill should be taken as the first priority in the monsoon session of parliament. BPL (Below Poverty Line) families are getting 35 kgs of grains at present. After this bill is passed, BPL families will be getting only 25 kgs. They didn't take care of the six crore tonne of grains that has been rotting." "Their food security bill has many loopholes. They are excluding 50 percent of the urban area people without any basis. Many states are getting rice for Rs.1, but this bill is offering rice for Rs.3. This bill will not be able to fulfill the demands I really don't know what Congress wants to do," Karat added. BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said the monsoon session of parliament can be

held ahead of schedule to pass the food security bill. "There are media reports that government is considering the option of an ordinance or to convene a special session of parliament. The ordinance route for such an important legislation is not desirable. We are not opposed to a special session of Parliament," Swaraj tweeted…. (New Kerala 3/6/13) Sonia seeks quick implementation of rural livelihoo d scheme (21) New Delhi: Buoyed by the response to UPA'srural livelihood scheme, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday sought quick implementation of Aajivika mission across the nation especially its central and eastern parts. Gandhi's thrust on the scheme comes at a time when Congress is bracing for Lok Sabha elections due next year and assembly elections in five states including BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in 2013. Giving a thrust to poverty alleviation in her address at the second anniversary of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) here, Gandhi said that the empowerment of weaker sections and women has been the main pillar of our UPA government. The Congress president also chose the occasion to announce that a special package is being prepared for North Eastern states and hilly states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh to give a fillip to such measures. She said that in the next ten years, 7 crore BPL families have to be freed from poverty, which is not an easy job. "But by adopting the Aajivika Mission, many states have proved that through women SHGs, economical and social changes can be brought in the rural areas. "Seeing this success, it seems that now the Aajivika Mission will have to be implemented fast across the country especially in central and eastern India," Gandhi said. Aajeevika was launched by Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) in June 2011. It aims at creating efficient and effective institutional platforms of the rural poor enabling them to increase household income through sustainable livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial services. NRLM has set out with an agenda to cover 7 Crore BPL households, across 600 districts, 6000 blocks, 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats and 6 lakh villages through self-managed Self Help Groups (SHGs) and support them for livelihood collectives in a period of 8-10 years Hailing the NRLM as an important programme of the UPA, Gandhi claimed that in no other country of the world, such an ambitious and huge scheme for the empowerment of women exists. "Today everybody has proved that this programme can free women from the curse of poverty. Such an an emancipation is based on stable and self-made employment and not on the mercy and kindness of anybody. "Our purpose is clear. We have to strengthen the women SHGs and their instruments financially," she said. Maintaining that the empowerment of weaker sections and women has been the main focus of the UPA government, she said that the capacity to bring a change in society lies in the women most as they are the ones in the families and societies on whose shoulders lie responsibility of nurturing coming generations. "Women are the worst victims of poverty and social exploitation especially those belonging to the minorities, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. "....For the financial empowerment of women, we have still to do much more, have to increase their skills by getting more loans so that they can get new opportunities of livelihood...The social revolution that we want to bring about is possible only through the women," Gandhi said addressing the gathering. The Congress president also noted that the UPA government has initiated measures for the social and financial empowerment of women in Jammu and Kashmir through the instrument of women SHGs. "In the next five years, we hope to reach this programme to two thirds of the families in the state. I have been told that its result is very positive and we will see its many successes soon. Similarly, a special package is being prepared for North Eastern states and hilly states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh," Gandhi said. Gandhi also referred to a woman SHG member from Jammu and Kashmir, who spoke from the dais on how the scheme Himayat empowered her financially. (Hindustan Times 3/6/13) Sushma Swaraj slams UPA government over hunger deat hs (21) Indore: Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday targeted the UPA government over the lack of adequate storage facilities for food grain and the resultant wastages in a country where hunger continues to be a major challenge. "Millions of tonnes of foodgrains are wasted as the system of purchase, storage

and distribution is in the hands of the government, which has created its own deficiencies. "This mismanagement has led to the death of a large number of people due to hunger," said the Lok Sabha leader of Opposition. Swaraj was speaking at the inauguration of the second phase of Madhya Pradesh government's food security scheme, 'Mukyamantri Annapurna Yojana'. Accusing the Congress-led UPA government of neglecting the BJP-ruled MP, Swaraj said that although the state had 72 lakh BPL families, the Centre provided subsidised foodgrain for only 43 lakh of them. But praising Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for introducing the Annapurna Yojana, Swaraj said that the said scheme would ensure nobody in the state went to sleep on an empty stomach. Swaraj was speaking at the inauguration of the second phase of Madhya Pradesh government's food security scheme, 'Mukyamantri Annapurna Yojana'. Accusing the Congress-led UPA government of neglecting the BJP-ruled MP, Swaraj said that although the state had 72 lakh BPL families, the Centre provided subsidised foodgrain for only 43 lakh of them. But praising Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for introducing the Annapurna Yojana, Swaraj said that the said scheme would ensure nobody in the state went to sleep on an empty stomach. (Zee News 6/6/13) Opposition stages walkout over Attappadi issue (21) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Blaming the UDF Government for the tribal deaths in Attappadi, the Opposition staged a walkout in the Assembly on Monday, even as Chief Minister Oommen Chandy maintained that adequate measures had been taken by the government. The Opposition walkout, the first in the ninth session of the 13th Assembly, which began on Monday, came after Speaker G Karthikeyan denied an adjournment motion on the issue. CPM’s A K Balan, who moved the adjournment motion, accused the government of negligence in tackling the deaths caused by malnutrition. Despite the government’s promises, deaths still continue to occur in Attappadi and other tribal areas of the state, Balan said. On Sunday, a 34-year-old tribal youth died in Mananthavady owing to starvation, Balan said, citing a report in a Malayalam daily. “Official statistics show that 52 children died of malnutrition, but in reality, the deaths number around 230. More delays will lead to one-third of the tribal population being wiped out,” he said. Chandy termed the deaths “an unfortunate incident that should not have occurred,” but said that the government had done everything “humanly possible” to prevent further deaths in the tribal areas, including the announcement of a package during the visit of Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh. A task force led by S M Vijayanand hasbeen formed to supervise the implementation of the Attappadi package. The government has created 75 new posts in the health sector in Wayanad. A total of 91 tribals, who had lost their job after AHADS (Attappadi Hills Area Development Society) became defunct, have now been given temporary jobs in connection with the implementation of the Attappadi package, Chandy said. He denied that the death of the tribal youth on Sunday was owing to starvation. The District Collector’s report on the death said that the youth had purchased the ration items on schedule, Chandy said. Bowing to a request by the tribal communities, the government had also taken steps to procure ragi from the centre. The walkout by the Opposition got mired in confusion after Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that the government was prepared to discuss the Attappadi deaths if the Opposition was not satisfied with his explanation. But by then, the Speaker denied the motion, and Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan announced the walkout. (New Indian Express 11/6/13) Poverty drove him to agree to kidney sale (21) DHARMAPURI: Poverty drove S. Balasubramaniam to try and sell one of his kidneys, his wife B. Angamma told The Hindu on Tuesday, a day after his arrest by Dharmapuri police in connection with a kidney racket. Police had also arrested on Monday a tout, N.S. Ayyavu. Details provided by him led the police to Balasubramaniam and special teams are on the hunt for more touts and sellers. Ms. Angamma said her husband came in contact with Ayyavu when he was working as an electrician with a mike-set and loudspeakers contractor in Salem. Ayyavu had persuaded Balasubramaniam to donate his kidney by narrating the plight of a college teacher Ramesh of Udumalpet in Tirupur district, who suffered kidney

failure two years ago. Angamma, however, said she did not know of the price negotiated for the kidney. Preliminary inquiry by the police on Monday revealed that while the recipients were charged up to Rs.2.5 lakh a kidney, the person who sold it got Rs.1.5 lakh. Angamma said Ayyavu and his wife came to their house at Maniambadi two years ago to persuade them to sell a kidney and also took them to the house of the college teacher. Angamma also claimed that she and her husband agreed to give away a kidney after seeing the plight of the teacher and his wife. Angamma said she and her husband went to Madurai in search of a hospital for the transplantation but were not able to identify one. She was also instructed by the tout to claim before the State government’s approval committee for transplantation that the college teacher was her brother-in-law and that he was in need of a donor kidney, as there was a ban on taking kidneys from live unrelated donors. They approached the panel for sanction six months ago, but the appeal was rejected. Angamma alleged that Ayyavu took their ration card and the Electors Photo Identity Cards two years ago and refused to return these after the government rejected the kidney donation request. Without the family card, she could not get rice and other essential commodities from the public distribution system. The family of four – with a son and daughter – were finding it difficult to survive. (The Hindu 12/6/13) Govt defers promulgation of ordinance on Food Secur ity Bill (21) NEW DELHI: The government plans to convene a special session of Parliament for passage of the Food Security Bill as a divided Cabinet on Thursday shunned the idea of promulgating an ordinance to implement the watershed legislation. A meeting of the Cabinet could not arrive at a decision on bringing an ordinance to implement the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's pet programme and instead decided to court opposition parties for passage of the bill in a special Parliament session. Home minister and leader of the Lok Sabha Sushil Kumar Shinde, parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath and food minister K V Thomas will meet opposition leaders to elicit their support for passage of the key legislation, finance minister P Chidambaram said after the Cabinet meeting. "The Food Security Bill is ready. We would like to pass it as a bill but ordinance version of bill is also ready. We decided today that we would like to make one more effort to ask the opposition parties whether they will cooperate in passing the bill in a special session of Parliament," he said. Thomas said the ordinance route has not been completely shelved and remains an option available to the government. The Food Security Bill was tabled in the Budget session of Parliament but could not be taken up for discussion due to pandemonium in the Lok Sabha over various scams. The bill aims to give legal rights to 67 per cent of the population over a uniform quantity of 5 kg foodgrains at a fixed price of Rs 1-3 per kg through ration shops. (Times of India 13/6/13) Yavatmal tribals starving for 4 months without supp lies (21) While Hivra, Katli, Borgaon, Botuni, Mahadpur, Bhimnaala villages have been forced to buy food from outside or go hungry for the past four months, the same problem afflicts Shiba, Rajani, Pardi, Rampur, Kundi, Ambezhari and Pachpor villages since the last two months. Following the stalemate over the food security bill, at a time when the Centre is shouting from roof tops about its food security concerns for the poor, it has emerged that in the Naxal-affected tribal interiors of Zari tehsil in Yavatmal district, none of the villages have been getting any supplies at the PDS ration shops. This has led to widespread starvation and fears that this could lead to hunger deaths among the Kolam adivasis in a cruel repeat of 2002 when 42 tribals had died of starvation. While Hivra, Katli, Borgaon, Botuni, Mahadpur, Bhimnaala villages have been forced to buy food from outside or go hungry for the past four months, the same problem afflicts Shiba, Rajani, Pardi, Rampur, Kundi, Ambezhari and Pachpor villages since the last two months. “We do not get any work till the last week of June when the rains begin here. Since I cannot afford the expensive foodgrain in the open market rates, I have been digging out wild tubers to feed my family,” said Janga Meshram, 39, a resident of Hivra village, one of the worst-hit told dna. Given that his father was among the 42 who died in 2002 he should know the fear of going hungry. Activists working for food security in the region are baffled that this is being done by a government, which used targeted public

distribution system for all poor, as a major plank in its 2009 campaign to come into power. Many like Kishor Tiwari of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) point out, “The Yavatmal collectorate had assured the Nagpur bench of the Bombay HC in an affidavit that it would assume responsibility for food security of the Kolam tribals in 2002 when the court had pulled it up following the starvation deaths. But clearly that assurance has remained only on paper.” In fact in a violation of Supreme Court (SC 2001 order (in a PIL by People's Union for Civil Liberties) asking states to update BPL lists in keeping with local civic bodies’ lists, the government submitted an affidavit to the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court following 42 deaths among Kolam tribals in Yavatmal. On one hand the local collector told the court that the state strictly follows the SC 2001 order and updates BPL lists annually. On the other, he admitted that on the ground a 2002 BPL survey is considered for selecting families for food security under the PDS. Tiwari wonders how the governments at the state and Centre can call themselves pro-poor. “First Maharashtra continues to use a 2002 list denying lakhs of below poverty line (BPL) people who barely earn enough for one meal a day access to food, despite the fact that local bodies have sent lists for 2012 to the state and now even those entitled under the older lists have been going without supplies for over four months.” He adds, “If this is the government’s approach in the heart of farmer suicide belt where starvation deaths have already occurred and Naxals already wield clout, one shudders to think of conditions elsewhere.”…. (DNA 14/6/13) 38 countries beat UN targets to reduce hunger (21) ROME: Thirty eight countries have beaten a UN-imposed deadline of 2015 to cut in half the proportion of hungry people. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization on Saturday recognized the 38 countries and urged those still working to meet the UN target to redouble efforts. The UN General Assembly in 2000 established a set of " Millennium Development Goals" for countries. The No. 1 target was to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, including halving the proportion of hungry people by 2015. The 38 countries include: Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Maldives, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Thailand, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uruguay, Venezuela and Vietnam. (Times Of India 16/6/13) Government urged to universalise PDS (21) BANGALORE: Even as the State government is gearing up to launch the subsidised rice scheme for families living below the poverty line on July 1, activists from the Akhila Bharata Janawadi Mahila Sanghatane (ABJMS) and the Bharatha Prajasathatmaka Yuvajana Federation (BPYF) staged a protest here on Monday urging the government to universalise the public distribution system (PDS). The protesters demanded that the government provide rice to both below the poverty line (BPL) and above the poverty line (APL) cardholders at subsidised rates. Stating that a large number of families were living on the edge of the poverty line, Gowramma M., president of the ABJMS, said, “About 50 per cent of the 34 lakh APL cardholders are extremely poor. With the government withholding their fair price provisions, they cannot afford to spend Rs. 50 everyday on rice.” She added that several of them were suffering from anaemia as they were unable to afford essential food commodities due to rise in prices. Explaining her plight, one of the protesters Nandishwari M., a homemaker who was raising slogans seeking subsidise prices for APL card holders, said, “My family consists of five people. For one day, we spend close to Rs. 50 on just rice. The State government must look into our problems.” The State Cabinet recently approved that a scheme under which a one-member family will be eligible for 10 kg of rice, two members for 20 kg and families with more than two members not more than 30 kg. Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs T.B. Jayachandra had said that the shortfall of one lakh tonnes of rice would be made by making purchases from the open market, particularly the government-run corporations in Oidhsa and Chhattisgarh. (The Hindu 19/6/13)

Food Bill won't eliminate hunger, malnutrition (21) There are no easy solutions to some of India’s chronic problems, which need to be tackled in a holistic, multi-dimensional manner. However, the United Progressive Alliance government does not think so. It has hit upon the idea of enacting a food security law in the mistaken belief that it will address the problems of poverty and hunger. An article in the pre-eminent medical journal, The Lancet, should help the government rethink its plan on food security. It is no secret that despite India’s rapid strides in economic development, malnutrition plagues a large section of the population. In fact, half the nation’s children under five remain stunted. What’s worse, the problem of stunted growth of children has worsened during the last 10 years. The government’s single-point strategy has been to supply nutrient-fortified supplements and meals to children under its ICDS programme. Alas, the strategy does not seem to have yielded the desired dividends. That about 65 per cent of the population has no access to clean drinking water and sanitation poses a greater threat to public health. About 200,000 children under four die annually due to diarrheal diseases, caused by dirty water. In India, water-borne diseases account for a majority of deaths. If the government is interested in improving public health, it will have to adopt a multi-pronged strategy. For instance, India has more mobile phones than toilets, the absence of which leads to contamination of water sources. If everyone has access to clean toilet, it will go a long way in reducing water-borne diseases. Instead, the government thinks the panacea for all the nation’s ills is food security. The Lancet has estimated that it will cost $9.6 billion annually to fund an effective global anti-malnutrition programme. India alone will spend four times that amount annually on executing the food security bill, without any significant nutritional return. But, then, the idea is not to improve public health but secure vote banks. (New Indian Express 21/6/13) Why is UPA govt in hurry over Food Security Bill, a sks Mamata (21) BANKURA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday asked why the UPA government was in a hurry to legislate the Food Security Bill when its continuance was in doubt, while denying that Trinamool Congress was opposed to it. "Congress is saying that they are going to pass the National Food Security Bill and the Trinamool Congress is obstructing it," Banerjee told a panchayat election meeting here in Bankura district. "You (UPA government) have not done it for over four years and now when it is time for immersion what is the hurry?" she asked. "We support the Food Security Bill. But the Centre should ensure it reaches the people," she said, doubting the efficacy of the proposed cash transfer in lieu of foodgrains when banking facilities were unavailable in remote areas. Questioning if it was feasible for a villager to spend Rs 40 on transport to go to collect Rs 12, she said that her government was already providing rice at Rs 2 per kg in Junglemahal despite its limited financial resources. Claiming that it was a 'political gimmick' and that the Centre did not have the required funds to implement the scheme across the country, she said "the responsibility of food security should be left by the Centre to the states." Dwelling on her party quitting the UPA on allowing FDI in retail and other "anti-people" policies, she said her party had allied with the Congress after assurance from it at the time that it would not compromise with the CPI(M). "But I found that they did not change," she added. She reiterated that the Centre was taking away huge interest on loans taken by the former Left Front government. (Times of India 22/6/13) Starvation, illness loom large in Garhwal, Kumaon ( 21) DEHRADUN: Residents of dozens of rain-affected villages across Uttarakhand are starving and ill. Villages such as Pilang in Uttarkashi, Lambgodi in the Kedar Valley and those in the Yamuna Valley in Garhwal division are among the worst affected. Famished residents of Munsyari, Sosa, Sirkha, Gungi and several other villages in the Kumaon division have urged President Pranab Mukherjee to order the Army to provide them immediate assistance in the form of food, tents for shelter and clothes as many of them have lost everything in the rain fury. “Army help is required urgently as we do not have much faith in the civil administration,” said Rajender Chufal, adding that any delay in assistance would only help Maoists

trying to consolidate their position in the region. Amidst fluctuating weather conditions, 2,365 people were rescued by air from Badrinath, Gangotri, Harsil and Pithoragarh and 500 on foot from Gangotri. About 2400 pilgrims were still stranded at Badrinath. About 1,02,600 stranded people had been rescued till date and about 3,000 persons are reported missing, Vinod Sharma, State director-general for information, said. A forensic team led by Nilesh Anand Bharne, Superintendent of Police for the Kedarnath area, cremated 15 bodies in the temple town. Eighteen out of the 20 bodies recovered in Haridwar had been cremated. Out of these, four bodies had been identified. Three bodies were cremated in Rishikesh, five in Pauri and two in Tehri, the police said. Doctors have warned of an outbreak of plague in Kedarnath. It would two months to assess the real damage as the administration has lost contact with hundreds of villages that could be accessed only on foot even during normal times. People are apprehensive as the relief money granted for earlier disasters itself has not reached many even after two years. Similarly, many interior roads and water supply schemes identified as damaged over a year ago are yet to be repaired. The residents of the Yamuna Valley doing commercial horticulture have suffered major losses as most of their fields had been washed away, said Mukesh Dhiman of Barkot. Meanwhile, the President spoke to Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on the phone and enquired about the status of rescue and relief operations. (The Hindu 28/6/13) We will get Food Security Bill passed on our streng th: Tariq Anwar (21) LUCKNOW: The Centre on Sunday exuded confidence that the much hyped Food Security Bill would definitely see the light of the day in the monsoon session of the Parliament. Speaking to TOI, minister of state for agriculture and food processing Tariq Anwar said, "Every effort has been made by the UPA government to pass the all-important bill, but the bill could not be passed, due to disruptions of the Parliament by the Bharatiya Janata Party. However, this time, we will get the bill passed using our strength." On the question that BJP feels that the Centre's bill is only a replication of the existing food security schemes in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Tariq Anwar said that whatever is their opinion on the said bill should be raised inside the Parliament. The minister who is also a senior leader of Nationalist Congress Party said that in the coming Lok Sabha elections, the party would not be putting any candidate from the Congress strongholds of Amethi and Rae Bareli. He also reiterated that NCP would remain an integral part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, and said, "The NCP and Congress had friendly fights during elections to different state assemblies such as Kerala, Lakshadweep and the north-eastern states. If NCP and Congress are able to reach at a pre-poll agreement in UP, then it will be good. And in case, the agreement could not be worked out, NCP would contest as a national party. "He further stated that it would not be possible for the NCP to contest on all the 80 seats in UP, while leaving the decision on the party's state unit to decide the candidates and their respective constituencies. "Our alignment with the Congress is on a state-to-state basis, and our prime agenda is to strengthen the secular forces in the country," Anwar said. Taking a dig at Narendra Modi, the Union minister said, "Modi would be least dangerous for us, as after his elevation into the national level, he has virtually become a problem for the BJP itself, and internal bickering in the party had become evident." Anwar also categorically refused to extend any support to the NDA, even if NCP is in a king maker's position, and said, "We have no political ties with the BJP."On Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar parting ways with the NDA, Anwar said that the onus is on Nitish to align with the secular forces of the country or not. He also admitted that despite political difference with Janata Dal (United), UPA will be strengthened if Nitish joins hand with the UPA. "Nitish was able to win the vote of confidence in Bihar assembly after it got support of the Congress," the senior NCP leader further added.Ruling out the relevance of third front, the union minister said, "Political stability in the country is impossible without the two national parties. And every time the third front has failed, after being formed."Anwar also said that corruption and price rise would not be any issue in the coming Lok Sabha elections. "No political party can claim that it is free from stains of corruption. The issue of corruption is serious, strong laws are needed to tackle it and some steps have already been taken," he said. As far as price rise is concerned, most of it is attributed to the import

of oil and gas, the cost of which is dependent on the global markets. "I feel to great extent, we have been able to convey this notion to the public, and they too have understood it," the minister observed.When asked to comment on the current state of affairs of Uttar Pradesh, Anwar said, "Development in any state directly depends on infrastructure, availability of electricity and law & order. All the three entities seem to be missing in UP. And when Mulayam Singh Yadav has already expressed his displeasure and commented over it, it is not appropriate for me to comment on it."… (Times of India 30/6/13) Haryana to spend 3,200 cr. on weaker sections (21) Chandigarh: The Haryana Government will spend over Rs 32,16.28 crore for the welfare of people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes through various schemes during the financial year 2013-14, officials said here on Monday. Under the ‘Indira Gandhi Priyadarshni Vivah Shagun Yojana’ launched in 2005, over 1.48 lakh families have been provided with financial assistance of over Rs 230.20 crore till the last financial year. Under the scheme, the Government gives Rs 31,000 to members belonging to Scheduled Castes and and Rs 11,000 to widows living below the poverty line to solemnise their daughters’ marriage. – PTI (The Hindu 2/7/13) India to meet poverty reduction goal by 2015: UN Re port (21) Despite widespread poverty in the country, India is on track to meet the United Nations' Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of poverty reduction by 2015, a UN report said on Friday. "...although poverty remains widespread in India, progress has been substantial. In India, the poverty rate fell from 49 per cent in 1994 to 42 per cent in 2005 and to 33 per cent in 2010. If the current pace continues, India will meet the poverty reduction target by 2015," UN Secretary-General's Millennium Development Goals report released by UN Information Centre said in Delhi. The report said extreme poverty rates have been halved for Eastern Asia, South-Eastern Asia and Southern Asia, five years ahead of the deadline, though with the exception of India. "Of the 21 global targets linked to the eight goals, six of the most important have already been met or nearly so. Probably the most impressive of these is the 50 per cent reduction in the proportion of people living in extreme poverty globally," Lise Grande, UN Resident Coordinator said. The UN Millennium Summit in 2000 had agreed upon achieving eight goals with sub-targets covering poverty, hunger, health, gender equality, education and environmental indicators by 2015. The report found that South-Eastern Asia reached hunger reduction target ahead of 2015 deadline. However, Southern Asia is lagging behind. "Eastern Asia is on track to meet the hunger target. However, in Southern Asia, the proportion of undernourished people has fallen from 26.8 per cent to 17.6 per cent during the past two decades, which is insufficient to meet the MDG target," it said. In developing regions, the percentage of people living on USD 1.25 a day or less has fallen from 47 per cent in 1990 to 22 per cent in 2010, Grande said… ( CNN IBN 5/7/13) India to meet poverty reduction goal by 2015: UN Re port (21) New Delhi: If the current pace of poverty reduction in India continues, the number of poor in the country in 2015 would be half of what it was in 1990, a UN report has said. The latest report on the progress made on Millennium Development Goals (MDG), a set of eight objectives considered essential in a push towards a more equitable world, says that globally the percentage of people living under $1.25 per day had fallen from 47 per cent in 1990 to 22 per cent in 2010. Halving the number of people living in abject poverty by 2015 was one of the key targets of the MDGs. This was to be achieved by 2015 but the UN report says the target has already been reached in 2010. "By any measure, this is a stunning achievement," said Lise Grande, UN Resident Coordinator who is the overall head of all the UN agencies operating in India. The Millennium Development Goals Report 2013, that was released by R K Pachauri, co-chairman of the Nobel Prize winning Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, says that there has been a substantial improvement in poverty reduction in India as well. "...although poverty remains widespread in India, progress has been substantial. In India, the poverty rate fell from 49 per cent in 1994

to 42 per cent in 2005 and to 33 per cent in 2010. If the current pace continues, India will meet the poverty reduction targets (of halving the number of poor) by 2015," it says. But like in many other areas, China has outperformed India. In China, the poverty figures have dropped from 60 per cent of the population in 1990 to 12 per cent in 2010. The Planning Commission had last year said the pace of poverty reduction had accelerated in the recent years, and that the number of people below poverty line was declining by at least two percentage points per year. (Indian Express 6/7/13) MDGs: India fails to meet poverty deadline (21) India has once again failed to meet the deadline for eradicating extreme poverty. Its record remains worse than that of an overwhelming majority of Asian countries. However, India has registered a fall in overall poverty levels which have declined from 49 per cent in 1994 to 42 per cent in 2005 and to 33 per cent in 2010, according to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Report 2013 launched by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Geneva. The report adds that if this trend continues, India would be able to meet the poverty reduction target by 2015. The eight MGDs include poverty, gender equality, hunger, health, education and environment. India continues to lag behind in eradicating undernourishment. While the proportion of undernourished people has decreased from 26.8 per cent to 11.5 per cent in southern Asia in the last decade, it is insufficient to meet the MDG target. The figures for maternal mortality remain grim with Southern Asia (read India) continuing to record the second highest maternal mortality ratio in the world with 220 deaths per one lakh live births in 2011. The number of underweight children in South Asia in 2011 remains the highest in the world, with 57 million children being underweight. East Asian nations has reduced mortality rates for kids under five from 48 deaths per 1000 live births in 1990 to 15 in 2011. Sanitation remains another major source of concern. Percentages have increased from 24 to 41 per cent between 1990-2011 but are nowhere near achievements of eastern Asia where sanitation numbers have gone up to between 67-71 per cent. Asia has made impressive strides in expanding access to primary education. South Asia, including India, has seen primary school enrolment increased from 78 to 93 per cent between 2000-2011. (Asian Age 6/7/13) Karnataka doles out rice at Re.1 a kg for poor (21) Bangalore, July 10 : The ruling Congress government in Karnataka Wednesday began distributing 30 kg of rice at Re.1 a kg for the below poverty line (BPL) families in the state, fulfilling one of its promises made in the party manifesto on poll eve. Launching the ambitious scheme which was put off twice since June, Chief Minister Siddaramiah distributed three rice bags of 30 kg each to three beneficiaries, including two women, at a public function at Freedom Park in the city centre, while his cabinet colleagues doled out an equal quantity to other beneficiaries in 30 districts. Christened 'Anna Bhagya Yojane', the flagship rice scheme is intended to benefit a whopping 10 million (1 crore) families, including 87 lakh card holders under BPL category and 11 lakh card holders under the centrally-sponsored Antyodaya Anna Yojane (AAY) across the state. "The scheme is aimed at eliminating hunger and malnutrition to ensure social justice. As promised to the people during the recent (May 5) state legislative assembly election, we are committed to serve the needy as the state has the highest number of poor people in southern India," Siddaramaiah said. The subsidised scheme, which will cost the exchequer a whopping Rs.4,200 crore every year, requires 2.78 lakh tonnes of rice every month for supplying through the state-run fair price shops under the public distribution system (PDS). Though the state will get 1.77 lakh tonnes of rice from the central government for the scheme, the state government will have to buy 1.01 lakh tonnes of grain from open market and other sources to make up the shortfall. To kick-start the scheme, which Siddaramaiah announced hours after taking oath May 13, the state government has bought about 28,000 tonnes of rice from Chhattisgarh at Rs.22.90 per kg for this month, as the state food and civil supplies department has 2.87 lakh tonnes of buffer stock in its warehouses. "We will procure our quota of rice from the National Commodities and Derivatives Exchange's (NCDX) online trading system from July 24 to ensure there is no shortage for distribution from August," a department official told IANS at the function.

The state government, however, is betting on the central government to not only make up the shortfall from the national food security scheme once its ordinance becomes an act, but also reducing the subsidy burden as it will be securing rice at Rs.3 per kg. "Under the national food security scheme, the state is entitled to get foodgrains for 9.3 million BPL families at Rs.3 per kg per month," the official pointed out. "Around 1.2 million additional BPL families have applied for ration cards to avail rice under the scheme. The department is verifying the status of present cardholders to weed out the bogus ones, which is estimated to be around five percent," the chief minister said. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the department would install bio-metric machines at ration shops and warehouses to maintain an account of stocks, quantity distributed and check pilferage of food grain meant for PDS. Under the scheme, one-member BPL families will get 10 kg rice per month at Re.1 per kg, two-member families 20 kg and three or more members of families 30 kg. (new Kerala 10/7/13) Delhi Govt gears up to roll out food scheme, 5.10 L families to benefit in Phase (21) New Delhi: A day after Sonia Gandhi asked Congress-ruled states to implement the food security scheme in 'letter and spirit', Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said her government was "gearing up" for its roll out in the city on August 20, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Considering the potential of the populist scheme in the assembly elections in the city slated for November, Dikshit last week had announced that Delhi will be the first state in the country to launch the scheme, dubbed by the Congress as 'game changer' in the Lok Sabha polls next year. "Our government is gearing up to launch the Food Security Scheme on August 20. We are working hard to ensure successful implementation of the scheme to ensure a hunger-free Delhi," Dikshit said while addressing a workshop of Resident Welfare Associations. The Chief Minister said 5.10 lakh families in the city will be provided food grains under the scheme in the first phase and the entitled food grain will be given to the beneficiary families through their senior most female members to with an aim to empower the fairer sex. "We will provide food grains to 5.10 lakh families in the first phase which will mean coverage of around 32 lakh people under the scheme. The scheme would go a long way in overcoming malnutrition and poverty. "We will give the entitlement to senior most female member of the beneficiary families in order to further empower women in the Capital city," the Chief Minister said. Dikshit has already ordered all concerned agencies and departments to complete the ground work for roll out of the scheme and appointed a committee under chairmanship of Food and Supply Minister Harun Yusuf to ovesee the preparations. The city government would side-by-side include more families under the ambit of Food Security. She further stated that the government would distribute Food Security Cards in formal launch function which would help in realising food security guarantee at large. In the first phase, all the BPL families, Above Poverty Line (APL) card holders and Jhughi Ration Card (JRC) holders and beneficiaries under Antodaya Anna Yojna will be included. The city government has also decided to include homeless people, daily wage earners, rag pickers, people living in resettlement colonies and slum clusters in the first phase implementation of the scheme. No income tax payers, vehicle and house owners will be included under the scheme in the first phase, officials said adding that the second and final phase of implementation of the scheme will be launched in February next year. They said the beneficiaries of Annashree Yojna, who are getting a monthly cash subsidy of Rs 600, are likely to be kept out in the first phase. Under the scheme, three-fourth population of the country will have the right to get 5 kg of foodgrains every month at highly subsidised rates of Rs 1-3 per kg. Per kg of rice will be supplied at Rs 3 while wheat and wheat and coarse cereals will be given at Rs 2 and Rs 1 per kg respectively under the programme. However, about 2.43 crore poorest of the poor families covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) scheme under PDS would continue to get 35 kg of grains per family per month but with legal entitlement. (Deccan Herald 14/7/13) Improving PDS critical to food security law, says f ood minister (21)

New Delhi: A day after Congress president Sonia Gandhi asked the party-ruled states to implement national food security Bill in 'letter and spirit', food minister KV Thomas on Sunday said the biggest challenge is to improve the existing targeted public distribution system (TPDS) so that highly subsidised foodgrain reaches the masses. "The key challenge faced by the government is to improve the existing TPDS and we hope to do so during the next six months," Thomas told FE. He said computerisation and modernisation of the PDS is under works and is expected to reduce pilferage of foodgrain to a 'large extent'. Thomas said Food Corporation of India (FCI), which would play a key role in implementation of the food security law, has 'enough' foodgrain stock in excess of 77 mt at present against an annual requirement of 62 mt under the food security law. He said that the food ministry is emphasising on reducing the pilferage and wastages in distribution of foodgrain. Sonia Gandhi and PM Manmohan Singh on Saturday deliberated with 13 chief ministers of Congress-ruled states on how to implement the law that seeks to provide highly subsidised foodgrain to 82 crore citizens, for which an ordinance was promulgated last week. Many Congress leaders were of the view that as long as PDS is not efficient, the food security law would not have impact on the ground. Thomas said while the government will hold talks with the BJP-ruled states for the implementation of food security programme, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana are expected to launch it by next month. "Karnataka and Kerala are expected to initiate work-relating implementation of the food bill shortly," he said. The Planning Commission estimate on below poverty line (BPL) families is to be released shortly and the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) is expected to completed by September, he noted. (Indian Express 15/7/13) 'Food Security Bill aimed at combating hunger' (21) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The National Food Security Bill, 2013, which envisages Right to Food, has nothing to do with elections or politics but is a humane initiative aimed at combating hunger and malnutrition, according to Randeep Singh Surjewala, Haryana Minister and former national president of Youth Cong. Addressing mediapersons here, he said that the initiative of the Congress is based on a quest to eradicate hunger from the country and anyone who attributes politics to the move is myopic. The minister, who was deputed by the Congress high command to explain the highlights of the Food Security Bill, said that the legislation would statutorily ensure 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month and cover 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of the urban population, which together constitutes about 67 per cent of the total population. This is in addition to the allotment to 2.5 crore Antyodaya families. A total of about 82 crore Indians would stand to benefit from the legislation and which would cost Rs 1,24,747 crore to implement and would supply 72.6 million tonnes of foodgrains. In case of Kerala, 1.41 crore of the 3.33 crore population will benefit, he said. Pregnant and lactating mothers will be given free meals during pregnancy and six months after child birth through anganwadis, apart from a maternity benefit of Rs 6,000 in instalments, he said. Randeep Singh said that in case of non-supply of entitled foodgrains, a Food Security Allowance will ensure providing an equivalent amount. The Bill envisages the Central Government to provide cent percent of requirement of foodgrains of states under the ‘Right to Food’. The Centre is also bound to pay the expenditure incurred by the state governments for intra-state movement and handling of foodgrains apart from margin paid to fair price shop dealers. The state govts are duty bound to launch the scheme within 180 days from July 5, the date of notification, he said. If any government is not willing to introduce the scheme, the beneficiaries will be entitled for the Food Security Allowance from the state, he said. Later, Randeep Singh inaugurated a workshop on the topic. KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala, former Meghalaya Governor M M Jacob, Minister K C Joseph and others spoke. (New Indian Express 17//7/13) Over two million houses for urban poor in next four years: Girija Vyas (21) New Delhi, July 22 : Over two million houses will be constructed for the urban poor under schemes of the union housing and urban poverty alleviation ministry in the next four years, Minister Girija Vyas said here Monday. The minister also called upon states to leverage funds provided by the centre to boost housing

for low income groups, and claimed that Rs.35,000 crore was available to her ministry for the provision of such housing. Speaking to the media, Girija Vyas said her ministry has proposed to liberalise norms for affordable housing, and families with income of Rs.1 lakh per year would be eligible for housing under the economically weaker section (EWS) category. She said families with income of Rs.2 lakh per year would be eligible for lower income group (LIG) housing. She said a task force set up by her ministry had recommended placing affordable housing in the "infrastructure" category. Such categorisation will make the sector eligible for tax concessions, she said. Girija Vyas, who earlier in the day addressed the "National symposium on affordable housing" said that Rs.35,000 crore had been approved for schemes of the ministry, including the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) and the Affordable Housing in Partnership scheme. RAY is aimed at making the country free of slums. Affordable Housing in Partnership aims at fostering public-private sector collaboration in housing the urban poor. Girija Vyas said states should leverage funds available to them under central schemes and construct an additional one million houses in the next four years. She said that the housing shortage in the country had been estimated at 18.78 million units, of which 96 percent shortage was in the EWS and LIG category. "We need huge investments for this and private sector also needs to play a crucial role to fill the gap," she said. Girija Vyas said her ministry will pursue recommendations of the task force on promoting affordable housing set up last year under the chairmanship of Arun Kumar Misra, secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. Misra said the task force had recommended incentives for the affordable housing sector including concessions to development related charges, service tax exemptions, direct tax benefits and inclusion of the sector in the "infrastructure facility".The task force had also said that governments need to still provide direct capital grant support to affordable housing projects and suggested exploring the option of foreign direct investment to bring in the capital. It called for reducing timelines for affordable housing projects and suggested that states and cities should prepare a full inventory of their land holdings, increase floor space index and provide transferable development rights facilities. It also suggested interest subsidy for the urban poor and appropriate reduction of stamp duty for registration of property in affordable housing projects. The symposium in Delhi on Monday was attended by more than 200 delegates, including housing and urban development ministers from some states, industry associations, academics and technical experts. (New Indian Express 22/7/13) Poverty ratio falls to 21.9% in FY12 (21) New Delhi: India's poverty ratio dropped to 21.9% in 2011-12 from 37.2% in 2004-05, the fastest fall in several decades, as faster economic growth raised incomes across segments and propped up the spending power of millions of people. Based on the NSSO's data on monthly per capita consumption expenditure, the Planning Commission computed persons below the poverty line at 25.7% for rural areas and 13.7% for urban areas during 2011-12, compared to 41.8% and 25.7% in 2004-05. The national average fell to 21.9% from 37.2% in seven years to 2011-12, at 2.18% per annum. This was faster than the 0.74% annual fall between 1993-94 and 2004-05, the commission estimated using the Tendulkar method for mixed reference period (MRP). People with a consumption expenditure of less than R816 per month in rural areas and R1,000 in urban areas are defined as poor. For a family of five, the all-India poverty line in terms of consumption expenditure amounts to about R4,080 per month in rural and R5,000 in urban areas. "In 2011-12, India had 270 million persons below the Tendulkar Poverty Line compared to 407 million in 2004-05, a reduction of 137 million over the seven-year period," the plan panel said. The rapid decline in poverty comes in the backdrop of average GDP growth of 8.3% compared to 6.1% during 1993-2005. During the last few years, rural incomes have grown faster than urban incomes, after the government rolled out schemes such as MGNREGS. The maximum number of poor people reside in UP (598.19 lakh), Bihar (358.15 lakh), MP (234.06 lakh), Maharashtra (197.92 lakh) and West Bengal (194.98 lakh). While the present poverty estimate is based on the Tendulkar method, it had come under criticism, prompting the Centre to set up a committee under Prime Minister's economic adviser C

Rangarajan. But the Rangarajan committee is expected to submit its report by the middle of 2014. (Indian Express 24/7/13) Andhra Pradesh leads in bringing down poverty (21) HYDERABAD: Even as Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, hard sells his “poverty mitigating development agenda,” Andhra Pradesh has silently out beaten his State by dramatically halving the number of poor over the last two years from 176 lakh to 80 lakh, the latest National Sample Survey Organisation data has revealed. Not just Gujarat, no other Indian State comes close to this rate of poverty reduction from 21.1 per cent to 9.37 per cent during the period 2009-10 and 2011-12. If it looks quite surprising for a short two-year period, the figures for the longer seven-year term, from 2004-05 to 2011-12, are equally impressive with poverty rate dropping by about 20 percentage points, against the Indian average of 15 percentage points. And if one goes beyond and looks at the last 20 years, poverty is down by a significant 35 percentage points. Two other States that come second and third to AP are Tamil Nadu and Gujarat but both these States took seven years to halve and nearly halve the number of poor. Some experts now compare the AP’s poverty rates to those of China, stated to have lifted more people out of poverty in the last 30 years than any country in history. How did AP achieve this feat? Is it because of poverty alleviation programmes? Or is it owing to schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee programme or agriculture growth? Economists however have extremely differing views both over the figures put out by the NSSO and the manner of achieving poverty reduction. For eminent economist and former member of the Planning Commission, C. H. Hanumantha Rao, the reduction in poverty in Andhra Pradesh was to be expected. “I am not surprised at all, given the way rural income has grown with wages being pushed up significantly from schemes like MGNREGA and agriculture growth rate. The 4 per cent growth in agriculture may still be elusive but in some years it was close to 3 per cent.” This growth was satisfactory over the years and the welcome feature was that it came from crop diversification, Prof. Rao said. Wages in rural areas have gone up to such an extent that farmers were complaining of shortage of farm hands, though it is debatable whether payment of wages has led to creation of productive assets. Income levels have gone up also because farmers diversified into sectors such as dairying. Migration to urban areas is now not so much of distress- driven but for better opportunities and living conditions. Äll these factors appear to have contributed to reduction in poverty, he explained. He found the NSSO data credible. But for another economist, Dr. Vamsi Vakulabharanam of University of Hyderabad, the NSSO finding is to be taken with a pinch of salt. “A dramatic reduction of poor by 90 lakh in two years is usually to be treated with great scepticism. There are serious problems in comparing data of 2009-10 with 2011-12, as the former was quinquennial survey on more than 100,000 households where as the latter was based on small sample of annual survey which may have significant sample bias. Drawing inference from such small survey is seriously problematic.” Moreover poverty line used in these computations was totally arbitrary based on Tendulkar Committee recommendations that have become controversial for using money value of the indexed urban poverty line in 2004-05 to calculate rural poverty, he said. The current poverty line based on this committee has no basis in any real consumption requirements of the poor, calorific or otherwise. “This entire exercise seems like a publicity stunt on the part of the government and the Planning Commission.” (The Hindu 25/7/13) 'UP poor to give Rs.27 to Rahul Gandhi for meal' (2 1) Banda (Uttar Pradesh), July 28 : Mocking at the Planning Commission's poverty figures, people of Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand region would give Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Rs.27 instead of a 'chatni-roti' meal if he comes here, NGO workers and villagers said here Sunday. Gandhi visited Bundelkhand's Banda district in September 2009 and stayed overnight at the home of Bhagwat Prajapati in Nehri village who died due to poverty. He sympathised with Prajapati's family and ate 'chatni-roti' with them. But village residents now said Gandhi would not be offered the poor man's food any more. Prajapati's nephew Lala

Prajapati said he did not expect Gandhi to visit their house again, but if he did then "I am going to give him Rs.27 so that he could fight hunger".According to the Planning Commission, people whose daily consumption of goods and services exceed Rs.27.20 in villages and Rs.33.33 in cities are not poor. Lala Prajapati, who is the head of the village, said: "The last time Gandhi spent the night with us, we spent Rs.23 on his 'chatni-roti', and that too wasn't a full meal." Puswa Raidas, a hand cart puller from Banda city, said: "For my five-member family, we spend Rs.150-175 daily on rations." "If people like me are to be considered well-off, then all Congress leaders' names should be enlisted in the below poverty line (BPL) or the Antodaya ration scheme," he said. Shiv Kumar Mishra, an activist associated with NGOs Right to Food and Human Rights Law Network working in the region, said: "The Planning Commission's yardstick for determining poverty-stricken people in villages and cities is absurd." "While setting this yardstick, the commission's officials seem to have ignored the money they themselves spend on their food," said Mishra. Leaders from the Congress were not aware of the poverty in the Bundelkhand region despite Gandhi having spent a night with Prajapati's family, he added. Another activist Suresh Raikwar said they would organise the poor in the region and give Rs.27 for a day's meal to each leader from the Congress or its allies who visit the area ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. "Gandhi will be given Rs.27 a day, Raj Babbar Rs.12, Rasheed Masood Rs.5 and Farooq Abdullah Re.1, so that they can have a full meal in Bundelkhand," said Raikwar. "We would protest if the administration officials try to arrange meals for them," he said. Congress leader Rasheed Masood Thursday claimed that "one can eat well" for Rs.5 in the national capital, a day after Congress spokesperson Raj Babbar said that one can have a full meal for Rs.12 in Mumbai. "You can eat well for Rs.5 in the Jama Masjid area of Delhi," Masood, a Rajya Sabha member from the Congress, told reporters here. Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah Friday said that one can have a full meal for Re.1. "One can eat for Re.1, if desired. It depends on the common man how much they can afford and they have to manage in that only," Abdullah told reporters on the ongoing debate on poverty. (New Kerala 28/7/13) High growth led to rapid decline in poverty.. (21) When poverty levels shrink dramatically on a government's beat, one expects it to shout that out from the rooftops. But the UPA marches to a different drummer. When growth was going strong, the National Advisory Council was commissioned to push an inclusive agenda, as if growth and inclusiveness were at odds. When that period of high growth reduced poverty at an unprecedented pace, many UPA spokespersons joined ranks with the opposition, simplistically decrying the existing poverty line as a cruel joke on the poor. Interestingly it's the deputy chairperson of the Planning Commission who has made the case UPA politicians have strangely eschewed. From 2004-05 to 2011-12 poverty fell by 2.24% annually as against 0.74% in the preceding NDA regime. In absolute numbers the number of poor fell by 138 million during these seven years, an Indian and even a world record. Similar achievements by China are celebrated by the world as well as by all political denominations in India. Far from being a statistical fudge, today's poverty line meets international benchmarks and also makes allowances for variation across states. Redefining it upwards again — as is being sought to be done by the revised Rangarajan formula whose results are still unavailable — would bump up absolute numbers of poor, but won't significantly affect the percentage decline in poverty during the first seven years of UPA rule. To be sure that achievement is likely eroded by uncontrolled inflation in the last couple of years, but that analysis can await the next set of NSSO data. So why does the government appear uninterested in celebrating and more interested in cavilling at the new data? An obvious answer is that it sees the food security Bill and other sops as its most promising cards for elections around the corner, and it can't justify expanding subsidies to 70% of Indians if only 22% of them are poor. It's as if the political class, which sees itself as patron saints of the poor, feels short-changed if fewer of their wards were to be around. But this is dangerous reasoning. The need to target subsidies sharply at the extremely poor instead of spreading them across various voting blocks through an elaborate charade of pro-poor policymaking is becoming

ever more urgent, with subsidy bills weighing heavily on a slowing growth cycle and thus condemning more people to poverty. (Times of India 1/8/13) 21% of Chandigarh population living below poverty l ine (21) Chandigarh: As many as 2.35 lakh people in Chandigarh survive on less than Rs 1,155 per capita per month. In a city that boasts one of the highest per capita vehicle density and ranks among the highest per capita income, 21.8 per cent of the population is below poverty line as per the data released recently by the Planning Commission. In fact, among the Union Territories, Chandigarh ranks the second highest in the number of people below poverty line after Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The nationwide survey was conducted by National Sample Survey Office of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The people below poverty line have been ascertained on the basis of per capita per month expenditure. Poverty line of Punjab has been used for both rural and urban areas of Chandigarh. For urban areas, it has been taken as Rs 1,155 while for the rural areas, it is Rs 1,054. As per the Census 2011 figures, Chandigarh has a population of 10.55 lakh people. Of these, 97 per cent reside in urban areas, including sectors and colonies. The remaining are in the rural areas. As per the data of the Planning Commission, 2.34 lakh people or 22.31 per cent population in the urban areas is below poverty line. In the rural areas, 1.64 per cent people are below poverty line. This implies that a total of 2.35 lakh people or 21.8 per cent are in the category of poor. During the last Lok Sabha elections in 2009, as many as 29 per cent of the voting population was in colonies while 57 per cent was in sectors. There are a large number of slums that have cropped up in the city over a period of time. Despite rehabilitation schemes being floated time and again, the city has not been able to get rid of the slums… (Indian Express 2/8/13) Rupee to strengthen as dollar seen weak after jobs data: Experts (21) MUMBAI: The rupee is likely to claw its way back to 60-level this week helped by the recent measures taken by RBI coupled with a weak dollar after US jobs data eased concerns over early withdrawal of easy money by the US Fed, say bankers and analysts. Treasury officials of various banks see the rupee appreciating to the 60-level this week. The rupee fell 67 paise on Friday to record closing low of 61.10 against the dollar. The previous record low closing was 60.72 on June 26. The rupee touched an all-time intra-day low of 61.21 against the greenback on July 8, which forced the central bank to unleash a slew of measures from July 15. "With non-farm payroll data in the US coming out to be weak, the dollar will remain under pressure," Mohan Shenoi, president for Group Treasury at Kotak Mahindra Bank, told PTI. The US non-farm payroll data, which indicates the number of people on the payrolls of all non-agricultural businesses, rose by 1,62,000 in July, but is lower than analysts' expectation of 1,84,000 and compared to 1,88,000 additions the previous month. Lesser number of people getting new jobs indicates that the world's largest economy is far from recovery and the Federal Reserve has to continue to support the economy for longer time. US Fed Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke on May 22 had stated that he might start turning off the easy money tap if economic conditions improve earlier-than-expected and put a September-December deadline to begin the tapering. Later, in June he had said the US Fed would unwind quantitative easing by mid-2014, which led to a massive slide in the rupee which has fallen over 10 per cent in 3 months. "RBI measures will help rupee to appreciate," Central Bank of India general manager (treasury), Ramesh Singh said. The rupee is likely to be under pressure in the near term but it will appreciate a little from the current level to around 57.5 against the US dollar by the end of this fiscal, according to research firm D&B. External market volatility and high current account deficit (CAD) are still weighing on the currency and will keep it under pressure, it said. "By this calendar year-end, rupee is likely to be around $58.5 to $59, while by March 2014 it is likely to be $57.5," global research firm Dun & Bradstreet senior economist Arun Singh told PTI. To save the battered rupee, which is the worst performing unit among the Asian currencies, the RBI had announced various liquidity measures previous month that helped reduce speculation and rupee volatility. (Times of India 5/8/13)

‘Plan panel shouldn’t fix poverty figures’ (21) NEW DELHI: Eliminating Planning Commission's role in etching the poverty line and instead tasking expert government agencies to determine India's below poverty line population may help depoliticize the exercise, a former top NSSO official has said. Former director-general of National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) Jogeshwar Dash feels the Planning Commission's mandate of framing policy clashes with estimating poverty ratios that are an outcome of strategies the panel devises. "Poverty ratios are outcome parameters. Both monitoring and measuring results should not be the job of one organization," said Dash, who headed NSSO till July, 2012. The former official said controversies kicked up by poverty line estimates has convinced him that the formula adopted by the planning commission in assessing the poverty line is vulnerable to political attacks that force the panel to junk the figures almost as soon as they are released. "It would be much better if the national statistical commission took over the task of computing poverty ratios independently," he said. Rather than formulae based on purchasing power parity and weighted indices, NSS data on consumption expenditure according to decile class of population and reports on nutritional intake can provide a straight forward estimate of poverty. "Rough estimates derived from NSS report on nutritional intake suggest that rural and urban poverty ratios calculated from a calorie intake of 2,400 and 2,100 a day, respectively, are 43.9 for rural and 27.7 urban in 2009-10," Dash said. These ratios are much higher than the Planning Commission's latest estimate that 22% of India's population is below the poverty line. Panel members have said while the number of people below the poverty line went up marginally between 1993-94 and 2004-05, they fell dramatically from 41 crore in 2004-05 to 27 crore in 2011-12. This method means a dramatic increase in the number of poor, but a measure based on calorific intake of population segments may be a more accurate pointer than a complex calculation of minimum expenditure to make ends meet. The poverty line of Rs 29 a day and the reduction of the calorific bar for individual consumption has proved problematic with the planning commission coming under all around attack, even from within the Congress. Instead of being forced to issue clarifications and disclaimers that the poverty line is not a benchmark for access to benefits, a more transparent calculation based on publicly available date may make the BPL computation more believable. (Times of India 6/8/13) Food Security Bill will increase malnutrition in In dia, says Narendra Modi (21) Ahmedabad: Alleging that the Food Security Ordinance 2013 has been promulgated with 'undue haste' and has major 'flaws', Modi demanded a meeting of all chief ministers to be called, before the matter is finalised by the Parliament. Attacking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the proposed Food Security Bill, to be presented in Parliament today on Wednesday, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said the bill, in its current form, will push the country toward "malnutrition".Presented by Indian government, the food bill is one of Congress President Sonia Gandhi's special projects - it has been strongly defended by her partymen in Lok Sabha. In a letter to the Prime Minister written on August 7, Modi claimed that the National Food Security Ordinance (NFSO) promulgated by the Centre, which is likely to be passed in Parliament as the Food Security Bill, has inherent flaws and deficiencies, since it fails to address both calorific and nutritional security of the poor. "In a nation concerned about meeting nutritional requirements, it is a bill that will push the nation towards malnutrition. The proposed Food Security Bill will keep the poor hungry and snatch away his food," he said. The Gujarat chief minister said that below poverty line families which get 35 kg of foodgrains at present, would henceforth get only 25 kg under the proposed Bill. "Your PM's policy makers are not aware of commoners' plight, nor are they aware of their living conditions. That is why people from your government announce that we can get a meal for Rs 5 or Rs 12," Modi said… (The Financial Express 14/8/13) 81 crore Indians will benefit if Food Security Bill is made law: PM (21) New Delhi, Aug.15 : The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on Thursday, expressed confidence about taking India's growth story forward, and said that a key element of achieving this onerous task, is the

passage of the Food Security Bill (Ordinance) into law. Addressing India's citizens on the occasion of the nation's 67th Independence Day and delivering his 10th Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the historic 17th-century built Red Fort; Dr. Singh said during his nearly 40-minute-long address, that the Food Security Bill was now before Parliament and he hoped it would be passed shortly. "This law will benefit 75 percent of our rural population and half of our urban population. Under the law, about 81 crore Indians would be entitled to receive rice at three rupees per kg, wheat at two Rupees per kg and coarse grains at one rupee per kg. This is the largest effort of its kind in the whole world," he said. "We have been able to implement this law only because of the hard work of our farmers. Our food-grain production reached a record level of 25.9 crore tonnes in 2011-12. Without rapid agricultural growth, we cannot achieve our goal of making our villages prosperous," he added. He further said that it is his government's constant endeavour to increase production and to ensure that farmers get remunerative prices for their produce. "In the last nine years, support prices for various crops have been enhanced as never before. The support prices for wheat and paddy have been more than doubled. Many states which faced shortages of food-grains earlier are now producing more than what they require for themselves. The average annual rate of agricultural growth in the 11th Plan was 3.6, which is more than both the 9th and 10th Plan levels," Dr. Singh said. He said that the UPA Government now sees clear indications of enhanced economic prosperity in the country's rural areas. "In the period 2004 to 2011, rural per-capita consumption has increased four times faster than earlier. Rural wages have also increased much faster in this period. MNREGA provides employment to crores of people in rural areas," the Prime Minister said. He further went on to admit that measuring poverty is a difficult task. "There are diverse views about what constitutes poverty. But whatever definition we may adopt, it cannot be denied that the pace of reduction in poverty has increased after 2004," he said, adding, "Many states which had been considered backward for a long time, with some of them being called Bimaru, and now they are progressing rapidly." (New Kerala 15/8/13) Jayalalithaa vows to continue universal PDS (21) CHENNAI: On a day when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hoped that the Parliament would pass the Food Security Bill soon, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa vowed to continue the universal public distribution system (PDS), where all sections of the society would be eligible to get subsidisedfoodgrains from ration shops. The Centre introduced the Bill on August 7. The 'game changer' move of the UPA is meant to guarantee subsidised foodgrains to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population. The AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu has been repeatedly opposing the Bill in its present form. In her Independence Day speech on Thursday, Jayalalithaa said the Centre was gearing up to introduce the National Food Security Bill which would ruin the universal PDS of Tamil Nadu. This would leave the state to face the deficit supply by one lakh tonnes. "Therefore, I have requested the Centre to give effect to some changes in the Bill. In the case of Tamil Nadu, I wish to state that universal PDS will continue," Jayalalithaa said amid cheers from those who attended the Independence Day function at Fort St George here. The chief minister said the government had achieved various initiatives ensuring the rights of Tamil Nadu, including notification of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, purchasing the Neyveli Lignite Corporation shares by the Tamil Nadu public sector undertakings and submitting to the Supreme Court the rights of state in Mullaperiyar dam. "I hope, on the same lines, we will establish our rights over Katchatheevu island (ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974)," she said. In his address to the nation on India's 67th Independence Day, the Prime Minister said, "We have recently issued an ordinance towards food security law. The Food Security Bill is now before Parliament and we hope it will be passed shortly. This law will benefit 75 percent of our rural population and half of our urban population." (Times of India 16/8/13) Rural folks in Kerala live better than ‘city’ zens (21)

Thiruvananthapuram: The Planning Commission’s latest poverty estimates, which showed a dramatic fall in poverty from 37.2 percent to 21.9 percent, have sprung a surprise for Kerala. For the first time in history, a state’s rural poverty line has been pegged higher than its urban poverty line. The new estimate draws Kerala’s urban poverty line at Rs 987 per month. It’s rural poverty line is Rs 1,018. This means that if Rs 1,018 a month is the minimum level of income considered adequate in rural areas, a Malayali can make do with even less in urban areas; an indication that rural areas in the state have a higher standard of living than urban. “It can never happen. It could be a printing howler,” former finance minister Dr Thomas Isaac said. However, a note passed on by the Planning Commission to the State Planning Board confirms the new demographic. Four reasons have been offered. One, for category-I items (cereals, pulses, milk, oil, egg-fish-meat, vegetables, fresh fruit, dry fruit, sugar, salt-spices, other-food, beverages and tobacco, fuel-light, clothing, footwear), the prices in urban areas are much higher than rural areas in most of the states. This difference is very low, only five percent, for Kerala; in Karnataka it is 16 percent, in Uttar Pradesh 21 percent. Two, for category-II items (entertainment, personal care items, miscellaneous goods, miscellaneous services and durables), the increase in prices in urban areas is lower than in rural areas in most of the states. But the rise in prices of category-II items is considerably huge in Kerala’s rural areas. Three, the difference in urban and rural poverty lines for Kerala was already low in 2004-05; the urban poverty line was only nine percent above the rural line. This also means that there was massive urbanisation of rural areas post-2005. Perhaps the most important factor, the commission notes, is the definition of rural areas accepted by the National Sample Survey Organisation. “The areas identified by NSSO as rural has characteristics of urban areas and are in many cases treated as urban by the census,” it says. (Asian Age 18/8/13) Why food security bill makes economic sense (21) New Delhi: The National Food Security Bill (NFSB) has raised a political storm in India. Many are worried about what its impact would be on farm prices, the growth rate and questions are being asked whether there would be a sharp rise in the subsidy bill and inflation rate once the NFSB is implemented. Such confusion persists because analysts ignore the impact the Bill will have on the economy. Hunger is not an individual problem but has its roots in the country’s macroeconomics: the nature of employment generation and the terms of trade between agriculture and the other sectors. The government, through its policies, determines these macroeconomic variables. For instance, in spite of high growth after 2003, hunger persists. Only the government can provide the correctives and end hunger. So the NFSB is only a corrective measure to the other policies being pursued by the government; it does not solve the basic problem of income generation. The NFSB will also raise demand for other goods and give the sluggish economy a much-needed boost. This is because the availability of cheap food grain will lower the food bill of families and they would spend the extra amount thus saved on other items. This amount could be substantial since the poor spend 50–60% of their budget on food. If it is assumed that an additional 30 crore people would get the cheaper food, the demand for other items of consumption would rise significantly, giving the sluggish economy a boost. The rate of inflation for the poor would also fall. But because the total consumption of food would rise, the free market price would also rise. That would hurt those not covered by the NFSB, like the lower middle classes. The immediate rise in inflation, however, would be small because as of March 1, India’s food stocks were 62.8 million tonnes and with the procurement in the new season these would have increased to above 80 million tonnes while the buffer stock norm for July 1 was only 27 million tonnes. The higher free market price would lead to a higher price for the farmers and this could lead to an increase in supply in coming years. Some argue that the poor do not need more food grain but require other items of food. This is partially correct. Food grain availability (proxy for consumption) in India peaked in 1991 at 510 gms per person per day and declined after that (in 2001 by 18%).This has been attributed to a shift in the consumption pattern. Whenever the monsoons have been bountiful and food prices have dropped, consumption has gone back to around 500 gms. This suggests that the consumption pattern has changed little and the need for more food grains

remains substantial. The NFSB would help the poor stabilise their consumption. It is estimated that the subsidy bill on food would be around Rs. 1,25,000 crore (around 1% of GDP). The additional amount over and above the current expenditure may be around Rs. 30,000 crore. But, the requirement of storage would decline since food grains would be distributed rather than kept in the open where they rot, and that would reduce the subsidy. The real problem would be corruption and the identification of additional families to be covered and delivery to them. In macroeconomic terms, the NFSB is desirable (with some amendments) and would reflect the nation’s commitment to its citizens. (Hindustan Times 20/8/13) Cabinet clears key amendment to food bill (21) New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Thursday endorsed a key change in the food security bill that seeks to continue and protect existing levels of food allocations to states beyond what has been stipulated in the proposed legislation and the extra allocations will be priced differently. The move clears a major hurdle in the way of the food bill, since states such as Tamil Nadu were keen to ensure their quota of grains will not be decreased because of the new legislation. About 3 million tonne of extra grains will now be supplied to states at the so-called above poverty line rates of R6.10 a kg for wheat and R8.30 a kg for rice. The government’s subsidy burden for this would come to R5,094 crore, taking up the cost of the food bill to R1.27 lakh crore annually. The food ministry had moved a proposal before the CCEA to protect the average offtake of the states under the Public Distribution System (PDS) of lastthree years. Under the food bill, the government will provide 5 kg rice and wheat per month per person at R3 and R2 per kg respectively. (Hindustan Times 23/8/13) Committed to make Delhi hunger free: Sheila Dikshit (21) New Delhi: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday said her government was committed to implement the food security scheme in true spirit to make the national capital a "hunger free" city. "We will implement the food security scheme in true spirit under which 73 lakh people will be provided food grains at a very minimal price," Dikshit said. The ambitious food security programme was launched in Delhi on August 20 by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. "We will make Delhi a hunger free city. We are working hard to implement the food security scheme," Dikshit said. She was speaking after inaugurating the 18th centre of 'Aapki Rasoi', a community kitchen, at Yusuf Sarai in South Delhi. Cooked food is distributed to homeless people under the 'Aap Ki Rasoi' programme. The programme, which is part of the government's Bhagidari initiative, was launched in 2008 with an aim to provide nutritious meal to destitute people. "The quality of food provided under 'Aap Ki Rasoi' is monitored regularly," Dikshit said. She also announced that more centres of 'Aapki Rasoi' would be opened soon. (Zee News 24/8/13) Money-lending 'guests' cash in on urban poverty (21 ) KOCHI: With the drastic decline of credit services offered by mainstream banks to the urban and rural poor, a special ‘guest’ has become an inevitable part of their socio-economic life in Ernakulam district. The money-lending ‘guests’ are known by the day on which he pays a visit to the households to collect the weekly interest. The field reality is a fitting testimonial to the recently published study by Centre for Socio-Economic and Environmental Studies (CSES) Kochi titled ‘How The Poor Manage Their Finances: A Study of the Portfolio Choices of Poor Households in Ernakulam District’. The study on behalf of RBI had found that “one fourth of the loans and the loan amount are provided by the moneylenders”. They are addressed as ‘Velliyazchakaran’ (Friday man) and ‘Budhanazchakaran’ (Wednesday man) in the Chellanam coastal belt while in the regions on the Alappuzha border, they are known as ‘Saniyazchakaran’ (Saturday man) or ‘Chovvazchakaran’ (Tuesday man). Interestingly, in the Dalit colonies surrounding Kakkanad, the ‘guests’ pay a daily visit, which shows that the deprived sections are increasingly becoming outcast from the mainstream credit institutions. Showing various colours of small cards issued by moneylenders, Kumaran, a Dalit construction worker near Kakkanad, said “I have six different cards. The agents of different moneylenders come to my home six days a week. As I was denied

loans by mainstream banks citing my incapability to repay them, I’m forced to depend on moneylenders.” “Due to the economic slowdown several workers are struggling to get job daily. To meet daily expenses as well as emergencies these moneylenders are a huge relief. Unlike the banks they don't seek your assets. But they help us tide over the immediate crisis,” he said. (New Indian Express 26/8/13) Rs 33,000 crore outlay to ensure food security (21) NEW DELHI: The annual additional subsidy on account of the food security scheme is likely to increase from the estimated Rs 25,000 crore to around Rs 33,000 crore. The spurt is on account of commissions to be paid to fair price shops along with transportation charges, and the additional outlay will have to be shared by both the Centre and states. Overall, the food subsidy is pegged at around Rs 1.33 lakh crore, increasing the Centre's payout. The burden is likely to be a cause for concern for the government since the expanded outlay will have a cascading effect on the current account deficit (CAD). Food ministry sources said state governments are yet to work out commission. As of now, only three states - Delhi, Haryana and Uttarakhand — have launched the scheme based on the food security ordinance. "So far, we have no information of any other state launching the scheme immediately. The Act will come to force in the next 10 days with clear signs of all parties supporting the Bill, which will pave way for its passage in the Rajya Sabha," sources said. However, advocating a strong case in favour of the scheme amid growing economic concerns, food minister K V Thomas had told the Rajya Sabha last week that when the food security scheme is implemented across the country the total pay out on account of subsidy would be around Rs 1.25 lakh crore. He had said that the present subsidy on the ongoing public distribution system is to the tune of Rs 1.09 lakh, which is based on 2001 Census and 1992-93 poverty data. He had said that even if there is no food security scheme, the subsidy will be Rs 1.13 lakh crore in the current fiscal. "Now, when the Food Security Bill is implemented, which includes several schemes, like the mid-day meal programme and other initiatives for women and children, the subsidy will be about Rs 1.25 lakh crore. The government is confident that it can be managed," Thomas had said in response to a question. As per government's estimate, the annual allotment of foodgrains to 35 states and Union Territories will be around 55 million tonnees with maximum of 9.6 million tonnes going to Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar ranks second at 5.5 million tonnes. (Times of India 28/8/13) ‘Food security bill to cover about three times the number of poor’ (21) New Delhi: The food security programme is not restricted to the poor and the population covered by it is about three times the number of people below the poverty line, Parliament was told on Thursday. “The government has decided to cover 67 per cent of the population under Food Security Act. The proposed coverage is not restricted to the poor only. As per Planning Commission estimates, 21.9 per cent of the people lived below the poverty line in 2011-12. “Therefore, the population covered by food security is approximately three times the number of poor,” Minister of State for Planning Rajeev Shukla said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. Earlier this week, the Food Security Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha. It aims to provide cheap food grains to 82 crore people in the country, ushering in the biggest programme in the world to fight hunger. The Ordinance will guarantee 5 kg of rice, wheat and coarse cereals per month per person at a fixed price of Rs. 3, Rs. 2 and Re 1, respectively. The Minister said that as per the latest data, poverty in India had been reduced to 21.9 per cent in 2011-12. “For the year 2011-12, the poverty line at all India level has been estimated as Monthly Per—capita Consumption Expenditure of Rs. 816 for rural and Rs. 1,000 for urban areas.” In reply to a separate question, Mr. Shukla said scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) accounted for 36 per cent of the total population living below poverty line in 2009-10. He further said that the working group, constituted for the empowerment of SCs and STs and other backward castes (OBCs) for the 12th Plan (2012-17), has recommended a number of measures for the upliftment of these communities. (The Hindu 29/8/13)

Food bill repackaging of existing schemes: Jaitley (21) New Delhi: The much-touted food security bill was taken up in Rajya Sabha, with opposition terming it as a "gimmick" with an eye on elections and accusing government of violating constitutional norms by issuing an ordinance when Parliament session was less than a month away. While supporting the food security bill, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley said it was "repackaging" of various existing schemes like PDS, mid-day meal and ICDS and there was nothing new in it. Speaking on a statutory resolution for disapproval of the food security ordinance, Jaitley who was joined by CPI-M, CPI and AIADMK in moving it, said it was issued in a hurry and less than a month of beginning of Parliament session. "An Ordinance is brought if there is a matter of utmost urgency and it can't await the Session of Parliament...What would have happened in 30 days that we couldn't wait. The Constitution does not allow so...It is misuse of your right to issue an Ordinance," Jaitley said. Questioning the hurry in issuing the Food Ordinance, he said, "At best, it could be aimed at reaping political benefits." Terming it as a "repackaging" of existing food schemes, Jaitley said the total amount of subsidy provided under various food schemes like PDS, ICDS and Mid-Day meal scheme is Rs. 1,24,844 crore and that provided in Food Security Bill is Rs. 1,25,000 crore. His party colleague Venakaiah Naidu said the Bill is a "gimmick" by the government as elections are a few months away and actually there will be no benefit for the people. "For four and a half years you never thought of this. Suddenly a few months before elections you are rushing through this Bill...you suddenly bring it before elections," he said. Questioning the logic behind the Bill, Naidu said, "The Planning Commission says poverty has come down. If poverty has reduced, then why are you bringing this Bill? There is no satisfactory answer to this. (Hindustan Times 2/9/13) Rajya Sabha passes Food Bill by voice vote (21) NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha on Monday approved by voice vote the government’s motion to pass the National Food Security Bill amid chaos and procedural wrangling over Opposition members’ insistence on a vote on their major amendments to the Bill. The government did not move any official amendment, and none of the 237 amendments moved by the Opposition, mainly the BJP, the CPI(M), the CPI, the AIADMK and the Akali Dal, were carried. The Bill, which provides 67 per cent eligible population with the legal right to subsidised foodgrains every month, was passed by the Lok Sabha last week. It will become a law after the President ratifies it. Responding to the concerns expressed by members, Minister of State for Food (Independent) K.V. Thomas said the Central government would work in tandem with the States. All the suggestions made by members would be followed carefully when rules and guidelines were framed, he said. The current allocation of foodgrains to the States was being protected and additional grain would be made available at prices meant for the Above Poverty Line category. A statutory resolution moved by Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley “disapproving the National Food Security Ordinance (no. 7 of 2013) promulgated by the President on July 5, 2013” was negated. Ninety-two members backed the resolution, while 118 members opposed it. Mr. Jaitley had questioned why the government showed undue haste in bringing the ordinance when the monsoon session of Parliament was to commence in 20 days. Significantly, the Samajwadi Party, which lends outside support to the UPA, withdrew its amendments to the Bill and so did the Janata Dal (United), which was till recently part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Both these parties backed the Bill and opposed the amendments moved by the Opposition. The Mizo National Front also withdrew its amendments. , there was confusion as the electronic voting machine did not work. For several moments, the House was at a standstill, while the Chair and members discussed procedures: whether all similar amendments should be bunched up for a voice vote or they should be voted upon clause-wise. Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the House for 10 minutes to possibly look at the rule book and precedents. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the leader of the House, watched the proceedings in silence. Earlier, initiating the discussion on the Bill, BJP leader M. Venkiah Naidu blamed the Congress for the poverty in the country. “Indira Gandhi gave the slogan ‘garibi hatao’ in the 1970s. Now, 67 years after independence, you are saying that 67 per cent of the population is food insecure. Who is to blame?” He said incentives to the agriculture sector had not been given their due

place in the Bill. The farm sector was basic to food security, economic well-being, poverty alleviation and national security. BSP leader Mayawati sought cheaper grain for the weaker sections. (The Hindu 3/9/13) Jharkhand govt to provide contract to food industry to treat acute malnutrition (21) NEW DELHI: Food Security Bill might have been amended to prevent backdoor entry of contractors to provide micronutrients in meals through industrially-processed food, but the Jharkhand social welfare department is bringing in the food industry right through the front door in the name of seeking energy-dense food fortified with micronutrients to treat children with severe acute malnutrition(SAM). The social welfare department of the Women and Child Development ministry of Jharkhand has issued a tender inviting "expression of interest" from food manufacturers for packaged Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to be given to children afflicted by SAM. This comes close on the heels of a recent Cochrane review which looked at numerous studies on RUTF and concluded that there was little evidence that RUTF was any better than standard diet in treating Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). The tender document claimed that the central ministry's department of health and family welfare along with Indian Academy of Paediatrics had recommended community based therapeutic feeding programmeas part of a holistic approach to SAM. "The community based approach aims at provision of energy dense fortified RUTF which is nutritionally adequate for the child with SAM," stated the document. It further stated that "to initiate the appropriate and adequate nutritional treatment at the household level a specific therapeutic food is required. The food is part of the nutritional treatment and is meant only for children afflicted with SAM." However in a paper published in 2009 on whether India ought to use RUTF for SAM, the Working Group For Children Under Six, comprising paediatricians and nutritional experts had stated: "The guidelines for community and homebased treatment of SAM formulated by a large group of experts and supported by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics recommends the use of home-based food (modified from the family pot). It specifically warns that commercially available international RUTF may not be suitable, acceptable, cost-effective and sustainable. In the context of SAM in India, an Experts' Group Meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Director General of Health Services in May 2010 in which the group decided that trials would be conducted to study different indigenous nutritional interventions in the community management of children affected by SAM. Despite the clear emphasis on indigenous nutritional interventions of which there are several examples which have been shown to be very successful in the treatment of SAM in various states, Jharkhand seems to pushing for commercialisation in the name of addressing malnutrition. Giving specifications for the RUTF, the tender document listed the minimum quantity in microgram and milligram of different vitamins A, D, E, C, B12 etc. and micronutrients such as potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron and so on which have to be present in a 100gm package of the RUTF. After detailing a battery of safety tests for each batch, the document elaborated how 150 sachets, each containing 92 grams, have to be packed in a carton etc. It also stated that the company bidding to get the contract would have to have a minimum annual turnover of Rs 2.5 crore in the last three financial years and have the experience and capacity to produce and supply similar products to government or international organizations. (Times of India 5/9/13) Lok Sabha passes street vendors bill (14) New Delhi, Sep 6 : The Lok Sabha Friday passed the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, 2012, which aims to protect the rights of street vendors in cities. Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Girija Vyas had moved the bill Thursday saying it will allow the street vendors to earn their livelihood without fear. The debate concluded Friday. The bill aims to check harassment of urban street vendors by police and municipal authorities and to regulate street vending activities. Several opposition members including those from the Samajwadi Party, the Janata Dal-United and Shiv Sena too had urged the government to address this issue. "At present around two per cent of the population is involved in street vending activity and this figure is likely to reach 2.5 per cent in a few years," said the minister. The bill provides for certificates by local authorities to street vendors to

save them from harassment by the police and other authorities. The bill also stipulates that market places which have been functional for more than 50 years will be considered natural markets and vendors located there will be protected. (New Kerala 6/9/13) Food bill: Experts seek proper selection, revamped PDS (21) NEW DELHI: Proper selection of beneficiaries by the states and a reformed mechanism of public distribution needs to be put in place if the ambitious Food Security Bill has to achieve its target of mitigating hunger from the country, experts said. While N C Saxena, sitting member of National Advisory Council which had been instrumental in drafting of the bill, banked on schemes like Aadhar in plugging the PDS loopholes, former member Harsh Mander called for focusing on exclusion of the ineligible first, rather than selecting the eligible. Saxena underscored the need for reforming the PDS mechanism and said while many states have improved, a number of them have a long way to go. "States like Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat are doing well. Big states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar along with the northeastern states and Delhi, are not up to the mark," he said. "A person in Faridabad district of Haryana was found possessing more than 500 ration cards. These things have to be done away with if we want to ensure that nobody goes to bed hungry. Aadhar can help in streamlining the PDS mechanism, and weeding out the ineligibles," Saxena told PTI. The food security bill, an ambitious project of the UPA and touted as a game-changer ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls, was recently cleared by both the Houses of Parliament. Mander also pointed out that the real issue will be the identification of beneficiaries and the next government at the Centre will need to work towards striking a synergy among the states. "Implementation of the food bill will very much depend on the next government. Identification of those to be entitled with foodgrains is a real challenge and I believe, that rather than who should get, the focus of the states should be on who should not. Exclusion of ineligibles is more crucial than selecting the actual beneficiaries," he said. Mander also expressed displeasure over the non-inclusion of NAC suggestions dealing with vulnerable sections like destitute, homeless, children outside school and migrants, in the version of bill passed by Parliament. He, however, said although not much talked about, the issue of malnutrition has somewhat been addressed in the bill through universal maternity entitlement. "93 per cent of the workforce is out of the formal sector. The bill gives special attention to women belonging to this section as it entitles Rs 1,000 per month to them for the first six months after the child birth," he said. Besides revamping of the PDS system, both Saxena and Mander stressed on strengthening procurement mechanism in the states to ensure that the farming community can also reap the benefits from the law and get good value of their produce. "In many states like UP, Bihar, Assam and West Bengal, governments are not directly involved in rice procurement and it is purchased by rice mills. Due to this, farmers don't get a good value for their harvest. "This loophole needs to be plugged both for the betterment of farmers, as well as to meet the foodgrain requirements of the governments," Saxena said. Mander also advocated a decentralised mechanism of foodgrain procurement to ensure that benefits of the law trickle down to the farming community too and they get fair value of their produce. Saxena also brushed aside apprehensions about country's storage capacity, saying the focus should be more on making the foodgrains available to the needy, rather than storing them in godowns. "We need 60 MT of foodgrains for the food security bill and our storage capacity is 55 MT. What is the problem? If we keep the foodgrains in godown, they will not only rot there, but the prices will also increase," he said. (Times of India 8/9/13) 'Food security bill fails to address the hunger for protein' (21) CHENNAI: Even as Parliament has given its stamp of approval to the Food Security Bill, noted agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan felt that it addressed only the under-nutrition aspect of the population and failed to fulfill their hunger for protein and micronutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, iron, iodine and zinc. Delivering the 16th convocation address of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) here on Tuesday, the founder chairman and chief mentor of M S Swaminathan Research

Foundation said there were three kinds of hunger – one of undernutrition, the other for proteins and the third for micronutrients. The Food Security Bill took care of the undernutrition aspect by focusing on wheat, rice, millets, he said adding that it did not cater to protein as well as micronutrients like iron and zinc. The noted scientist also expressed concern over under-nutrition in animals. On one hand, India is exporting animal feed and on the other hand our animals are undernourished. “Foreign exchange is necessary, but then nutrition is necessary for our farm animals,” he said. He added that the ownership of livestock is more egalitarian than landholding, and hailed the milk cooperative movement, by stating that the aim to produce 200 million tonnes of milk from 130 million tonnes was achievable. A total of 246 graduates were awarded degrees by Governor K Rosaiah. This year, the university also gave away two new awards. These included ‘Chancellor of TANUVAS Dr K Rosaiah Award for best PhD student in Animal Production’ and ‘Dr V Gnanaprakasam, former V-C of TANUVAS Endowment Award for Best Outgoing Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry Student of Veterinary College and Research Institute, Tirunelveli.’.. (New (Indian Express 11/9/13) Centre okays additional foodgrain to BPL families ( 21) New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday decided to make available an additional 50 lakh tonne foodgrain to 6.52 crore families below the poverty line (BPL) during the current financial year. Various state governments would have to lift the additional allocation of foodgrain before March 31, 2014, or till they implement the National Food Security law. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved a proposal of the Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs to make the additional allocation, which is expected to cost the exchequer Rs 9,471 crore. The additional foodgrain would be made available to states at subsidised prices of Rs 5.65 per kg of rice and Rs 4.15 per kg of wheat. Delhi, Uttarkhand and Haryana have begun implementing the new food security law, which aims to provide legal right to subsidised foodgrain to nearly 67 per cent of the state’s population. The Centre has been making the additional allocations of wheat and rice to states for distribution to the BPL families since 2010-11 given that the foodgrain stock in its warehouses is sufficient. As of September 1, foodgrain stock in the government godowns was around 59 million tonnes (mt), which includes 38.3 mt of wheat and 20.5 mt of rice. For above poverty line (APL) families, the government had, in May, allocated 6 mt of extra foodgrain for this fiscal. In June, the government approved the sale of 10.5 mt of foodgrain in the open market to check rising prices. (Deccan Herald 12/9/13) Govt notifies food security law (21) New Delhi: Government has notified the landmark food security legislation, giving a legal right on highly subsidised foodgrains to 67 per cent of the country’s population. The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill on August 26, while the Rajya Sabha gave its nod on September 2. President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Bill last week.”...it (the Act) shall be deemed to have come into force on July 5, 2013,” the Gazette notification said. The food law will provide food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity, it added. The Centre has convened a meeting of state food ministers and secretaries to discuss the rules and regulations for implementing the world’s biggest programme to fight hunger. The two-day meeting is scheduled from October 3. The new law, touted as a “game changer” by the ruling Congress and slammed by the Opposition as a “gimmick” before 2014 polls, guarantees 5 kg of rice, wheat and coarse cereals per month per person at Rs 3, Rs 2 and Re 1, respectively. It also guarantees the right to receive food security allowance in case of non-supply of the entitled quantities of foodgrains and nutritional support to pregnant, lactating mothers and children to prevent malnutrition. At Rs 1,30,000 crore government support, the food security programme will be the largest in the world. It will require 62 million tonne of foodgrains annually. Women of 18 years of age or above will be considered as head of household for purpose of issue of ration cards. Delhi, Haryana and Uttarakhand have announced

implementation of the provisions of the law. Beneficiaries will be determined based on population estimates. State governments will prepare guidelines to identify priority households. (The Hindu 15/9/13) UN: Development cutting poverty but gaps remain (21 ) UNITED NATIONS: Developing countries have won greater access to technology, broader markets for their exports and gained some debt relief over the last year, a new U.N. report said Thursday But the report said the world must increase aid and push for a multilateral trade agreement to spur on more progress. The report was an update on Millennium Development Goal benchmarks set for the year 2015, and is part of a United Nations push to try to reach them in the next months and to set new priorities for the next phase of development. World leaders agreed in 2000 on anti-poverty goals including cutting extreme poverty by half, halting the AIDS pandemic and increasing the number of people with access to clean water and sanitation. It said the lives of millions had improved as many countries reduced poverty, expanded access to clean water, and brought girls into the primary school system, and that provided hope that more of the targets could be met. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon introduced the report Thursday, saying "We can do better. The best way to prepare for the post-2015 era is to demonstrate that when the international community commits to a global partnership for development, it means it." The U.N. report said that official foreign aid from governments fell for a second year in 2012, by 4 percent, to $125.9 billion, mainly due to the European fiscal crisis. Bilateral aid to the 49 poorest countries fell 12.8 percent to about $26 billion, it said. This set a worrisome trend in which the richer countries may not be living up to the U.N. standard of setting aside 0.7 percent of the gross national product for assistance aid, said Olav Kjorven, an assistant secretary-general and director of development policy at the U.N. Development Program: "We see signs of it eroding, of it becoming weaker." Even with the European crisis, the Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden provide more than 0.7 percent of their budget in aid, the report said. Developing countries are getting greater access to major markets duty-free. The report said the proportion of developing country exports that were duty-free rose more than 15 percent from 2000 to 2011, reaching 80 percent. By April 2013, the report said, 35 of 39 of the poorest nations had reached the benchmark for getting debt relief. But the report points out that many Caribbean nations are reaching a budgetary crisis and there are no debt-relief mechanisms in place for them. In poor countries, medicines are still too expensive, the report said. Lower- and middle-income countries have to pay three- to six-times the international reference price for patented medications, said Shamshad Akhtar, the assistant secretary-general at the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. But under new legal regimes, poorer countries can now manufacture low-cost generic medicines for their national market only, a way of reducing costs, said Pingfan Hong, chief of the U.N. Global Economic Monitoring Unit. The report found that essential medicines were available in only 57 percent of public and 65 percent of private health facilities in 2012. (New Indian Express 20/9/13) Food security law may leave out many dalits, tribal s (6) NEW DELHI: A good number of dalits and tribals may be left out of the ambit of the ambitious Food Security Act, with the socio-economic caste census reporting lesser number of households of the two communities than found by the decennial census, a fraught prospect that has led to jitters in the government. As per the preliminary figures of socio-economic caste census (survey),1702 tehsils across 27 states have fewer SCs and STs than found in the decennial population census 2011. The census figures of SC/ST population exceed the survey numbers by 1%. It implies that fewer SCs/STs would be part of the poverty list to be shortlisted by the much-awaited survey. Once finalized, the survey is to serve as the blue book of poor households for entitlement schemes and its first big use would be in the implementation of food security scheme that Congress has called a "game-changer". The discrepancy has been found in the poorest states like Bihar (124 tehsils), Madhya Pradesh (163), Odisha (132) as also in Andhra Pradesh (450) and Maharashtra (154). However, the absolute number of households in Andhra is not high because the tehsils are small in size, sources said. According to sources, rural

development minister Jairam Ramesh has shot off letters to 26 chief ministers and the administrator of Daman and Diu, seeking proactive initiative to detect omissions. The census-survey gap in population figures of SCs/STs is seen as sensitive since it involves the sections more likely to be poor and obvious candidates for the poverty list. Being SC/ST is also one of the seven deprivation indicators to rank the surveyed households in the poverty index. The fear of SCs falling through the cracks of identification process made social justice minister Selja to recently urge the Planning Commission that dalits should be deemed to be poor except those paying income tax and government servants among them. The RD ministry stumbled upon the possible underreporting of SC/ST population when it did a comparative study between the survey and the census as part of cross-checking. While the fewer numbers in socio-economic survey could be owing to migration or absence of the household at the time of enumeration, the RD ministry has urged the states that a revision be undertaken to ensure that not a single family of the poorest section is left out. As the easiest way out, states have been asked to ensure that all SC/ST households participate in the gram sabha meetings to cross-check the findings of the survey so that those left out can file objections. (Times of India 23/9/13) Govt says receiving 50,000 food scheme applications daily (21) New Delhi: Refuting allegation by the opposition BJP of applicants of food security scheme forms being fleeced, the Delhi government on Monday said it had already distributed 40 lakh forms and is receiving 50,000 applications daily. “We have distributed 40 lakh application forms through the ration offices, Gender Resource Centres (GRCs), offices of District Magistrates, SDMs and MLAs. Elaborate arrangements have been made to receive applications at 200 offices - 70 ration offices and 130 GRCs. On an average, 50,000 applications are being received daily,” Delhi food and civil supplies minister Haroon Yusuf told reporters. He accused the BJP of misleading the people and projecting the Food Security Act in poor light.Yusuf said around 32 lakh people under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Below Poverty Line (BPL), Jhuggi Ration Card (JRC) and Resettlement Colony Ration Card (RCRC) categories were getting ration under National Food Security Act from this month. “Over nine lakh families have already submitted their completely filled application forms and now scrutiny would be done. Our officials have created a database from the data collected from the transport and power departments and revenue record of properties registered under A to H categories, which would be used for electronic scrutiny to check their eligibility,” Yusuf said, adding the process of identification of other eligible households has started. If an applicant is an income tax payee or has electricity connection of more than 2kW or owns a vehicle, then they would not be eligible to smart card under the scheme, he added. In a bid to create awareness about the application process, the minister said the department has put up 200 hoardings across the city and was also making public announcement through 140 auto-rickshaws. “Also to reach out to trans-genders and marginalised women, the government was taking help of NGOs working with Mission Convergence for door-to-door distribution of applications and helping the people in filling up and submitting them,” he said. Yusuf also refuted the charges of distribution of poor quality of food grains and said officials were constantly monitoring the quality of stocks. (Hindustan Times 24/9/13) Non-UPA states lead in housing scheme for urban poo r (21) Mumbai: States governed by parties that are not part of the UPA are making the most of a central scheme meant for the urban poor. According to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, seven out of the 11 states which have managed to get two or more projects sanctioned under Rajeev Awas Yojana (RAY) are non-UPA ruled. The scheme recognises the right of title of hutment dwellers and was announced just before the general elections in 2009. While the scheme is yet to take off in a big way, it turns out that non-UPA ruled states have stolen the show in the initial run. Under RAY, cities have to prepare slum-free action plans and submit proposals for redevelopment. Even as it works out the final modalities for the ambitious scheme, the Union government had sought proposals for pilot projects that could be taken up in mega cities. Upon approval of a scheme, the Ministry of Housing and

Urban Poverty Alleviation provides financial assistance to the project. So far, the Centre has approved 55 projects spread over 48 cities in the country. These are collectively worth Rs 2,479 crore. While some high profile Congress-led states like Delhi and Maharashtra are yet to open their account, the SP-led Uttar Pradesh has managed to share the top slot with Congress-led Rajasthan, with eight projects approved so far. Two other BJP ruled states — Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — have bagged six and four projects, respectively. The BJD-led Orissa has got three projects sanctioned, whereas Punjab (SAD-BJP), Tamil Nadu (AIADMK) and Gujarat (BJP) have got sanctions for two projects each under RAY. Besides Rajasthan, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh (both Congress, four projects) and Karnataka (three projects) are among the top 11. Senior officials further pointed out that approvals for all projects in Karnataka had come before May, 2013, when the BJP was still in power in the state. (Indian Express 25/9/13) Rural poverty down in south, remains high in north, east: Study (21) NEW DELHI: Rural poverty is declining in southern India while it is stubbornly entrenched in the north and the east, a study has found. Among the worst performers on rural poverty are Jharkhand, Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, MP and UP. "In 1993-94, nearly 50% of India's rural poor lived in these states. This figure rose to 63% in 2009-10 and 65% in 2011-12," the report says. Prepared by the IDFC Foundation, the report adds the number of rural poor in these states are increasing. Crucially, the states with higher cases of rural poverty also have higher cases of severe poverty. The new findings are important in the study of rural poverty that has gained centrestage in the policy discourse with higher devolution of funds for development and entitlement schemes. Releasing the report, rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said, "The decline in poverty has been far from uniform across the states. It is evident that rural poverty is becoming increasingly concentrated in Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, MP and UP." A key finding is that poverty remains significantly high among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in rural areas. "Poverty among SCs and STs declined faster than the average between 2004 and 2010, but they constitute 44% of the rural poor despite representing 30% of the rural population," the report says. Quantifying the poverty among the marginalisd castes, the report has found that over half of the STs in MP, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, and nearly 70% in Bihar and Chhattisgarh, are poor. The rate of poverty among various minority communities varies vastly. According to the report, Muslims and Buddhists have higher rates of poverty whereas Sikh and Christian communities have lower rates of poverty. "This difference in religious and social groups is largely attributed to inequality and discrimination faced in accessing educational opportunities, capital endowments and restricted occupational mobility," it says. (Times of India 28/9/13) Poverty alleviation needs to be top priority: PM at UN (21) United Nations: With over a billion people living in abject poverty globally, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday emphasised the need for "inclusive growth" and said poverty alleviation should be a top priority for the international community. "The problems of over a billion people living in abject poverty around the world need to be attacked more directly," Singh said in his address to the UN General Assembly. Poverty remains a major political and economic challenge and its eradication requires special attention and a new thrust, he said. "This priority should anchor the post-2015 Development Agenda, which should be shaped by the member states so that it enjoys the broadest possible support and acceptance," Singh told the international leaders at the UN headquarters in New York. He said the issues of peace, security, human rights and governance are important and need to be addressed. "But we will fall short of realising an ambitious post- 2015 development agenda if we focus merely on governance issues at the cost of robust economic growth," he noted. "This agenda should not be merely about reprioritising domestic spending, but also about fostering genuine international partnership between the developing and developed countries to bring about change," he said. Stressing that countries need the policy space necessary to set their own domestic priorities, Singh said no one knows the condition of

developing countries better than the developing countries themselves. "It is, therefore, important that the UN set clear and concise goals and provide practical and well-defined means of implementation, including adequate flow of resources and transfer of technology, taking the views of developing countries fully into account," Singh said. The Prime Minister said a meaningful post-2015 agenda must place equally high priority on food and nutrition, health, education, infrastructure, water, sanitation, energy and discrimination against women. "Especially critical is women's equal access to economic opportunities, and that they do not become victims of violence or targets of prejudice," he said. Informing the august gathering of international leaders, Singh said India promotes inclusive development in multiple ways. "Legislation has broadened access to education and secured rural livelihoods. We are now building the world's largest programme for food security. Digital technology is being harnessed to improve the delivery of public services and benefits to the people," he said. Proud of partnerships with developing countries, Singh said using its modest resources, India has built strong ties with Africa and the Least Developed Countries. New Delhi, he said, is committed to building 100 institutions in Africa, have offered capacity building support including thousands of scholarships and made available concessional assistance of over USD 9.5 billion. "India and Africa are engaging through the India-Africa Forum Summit process. We also look forward to participating actively in the 3rd Conference on the Small Island Developing States in Samoa in 2014 and contributing to its outcome," Singh said. Describing climate change as one of the defining challenges, Singh said: "We must summon the necessary political will for crafting a robust global response to climate change on the basis of equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities." (Zee news 29/9/13) Udhagamandalam association expresses concern over u se of children for begging (21) Udhagamandalam: The Public Awareness Association of Udhagamandalam has expressed concern over the increasing use of children for begging. At a meeting of the association held here on Saturday, members pointed out that groups of beggars, particularly from the plains, were indulging in the practice of exploiting children. The police should take action against them. By another resolution, the association wanted action to be taken against cattle owners who allow their animals to stray into the town. The animals were posing a serious threat to motorists. Service bodies like the Rotary and Lions clubs should set up treatment centres for stray animals. Efforts should be made to establish aviaries in various parts of the district. A survey should be conducted to identify senior citizens who are below the poverty line. The benefits of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act should be extended to the urban areas. Association president G. Janardhanan presided over the meeting. (The Hindu 30/9/13) World hungry drop to one in eight people: UN (21) The number of world hungry has dropped to one in eight people, making the goal of halving hunger by 2015 possible despite continued problems in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, the UN food agency said on Tuesday. At the global level, 842 million people -- 12 per cent of the world's population -- did not have enough food for an active and healthy life, down from 868 million for the period 2010 to 2012. The Rome-based Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) said it now appeared possible to attain the United Nations Millenium Development Goal of halving world hunger from its 1990 level by 2015. A FAO report said the main reasons were higher economic growth in developing countries, an increase in farm productivity rates and more private and public investments in agriculture. It also said that remittances from emigrants, which have risen to three times higher than development aid globally, were helping improve diets in countries like Bangladesh and Tajikistan. "With a final push in the next couple of years, we can still reach the MDG target," FAO director Jose Graziano da Silva said, along with the heads of the UN rural poverty and UN food aid agencies. "Policies aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity and increasing food availability, especially when smallholders are targeted, can achieve hunger reduction even where poverty is widespread," they said in the report. The report said 62 countries have already

reached the target of halving the proportion of hunger. Despite overall progress, marked differences across regions persist, the report said. "Africa remains the region with the highest prevalence of undernourishment, with more than one in five people estimated to be undernourished," it found. Sub-Saharan Africa is currently performing the worst on the hunger scale, though there has been some improvement over the last two decades, with hunger declining from 32.7 per cent to 24.8 per cent. In terms of numbers rather than percentages, Southern Asia had the highest number of undernourished people -- 295 million -- followed by Sub-Saharan Africa with 223 million and Eastern Asia with 167 million, the report said. Progress in Northern Africa, which has been impacted by the economic fall-out from the Arab Spring revolutions, has been slow. Western Asia meanwhile showed no progress in tackling undernourishment: while there are fewer people going hungry here than in other parts of the region, the level of undernourishment has risen steadily since the 1990 to 1992 period. The FAO said there had, however, been significant reductions in the estimated number of people going hungry in Latin America and Eastern Asia. The most rapid progress was recorded in fast-growing economies of South-Eastern Asia, where since 1990 the proportion of hungry people has dropped from 31.1 per cent to 10.7 per cent. (Business Standard 2/10/13) Number of hungry people in India drops by 6.5 per c ent: UN body (21) New Delhi: India, the world's second biggest wheat and rice grower, saw the number of people who suffered from chronic hunger drop by 6.5 per cent to 21.38 crore during 2011-13, according to a joint report by UN food agencies. During 2008-10, as many as 22.86 crore people were undernourished in the country, it said. "Despite the progress made worldwide, marked differences in hunger reduction persist... The vast majority of hungry people live in developing regions." said the report by Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the World Food Programme. At the global level, some 84.2 crore people in 2011-13 suffered from chronic hunger, not having enough food for an active and healthy life. Their number has fallen by 4 per cent from the 2008-10 level, it said. Most of the world's undernourished people are still to be found in Southern Asia, closely followed by sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Asia, the report said. It underlined that economic growth is key for progress in hunger reduction. "But growth may not lead to more and better jobs and incomes for all, unless policies specifically target the poor. "In poor countries, hunger and poverty reduction will only be achieved with growth that is not only sustained, but also broadly shared." The report also stressed that the developing regions as a whole have made significant progress towards reaching the target of halving the proportion of hungry people by 2015. The report has urged countries in these regions "to make considerable and immediate additional efforts" to meet the millennium development goals. Rice and wheat production in India stood at 104.40 million tonne and 92.46 million tonne in 2012-13 crop year (July-June). (NDTV 6/10/13) Number of malnourished drops by 6.5%: Report (21) NEW DELHI: India, the world's second biggest wheat and rice grower, saw the number of people who suffered from chronic hunger drop by 6.5% to 21.38 crore during 2011-13, according to a joint report by UN food agencies. During 2008-10, as many as 22.86 crore people were undernourished in the country, it said. "Despite the progress made worldwide, marked differences in hunger reduction persist ... The vast majority of hungry people live in developing regions," said the report by Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the World Food Programme. At the global level, some 84.2 crore people in 2011-13 suffered from chronic hunger, not having enough food for an active and healthy life. Their number has fallen by 4% from the 2008-10 level, it said. Most of the world's undernourished people are still to be found in Southern Asia, closely followed by sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Asia, the report said. It underlined that economic growth is key for progress in hunger reduction. "But growth may not lead to more and better jobs and incomes for all, unless policies specifically target the poor. "In poor countries, hunger and poverty reduction will only be achieved with

growth that is not only sustained, but also broadly shared." The report also stressed that the developing regions as a whole have made significant progress towards reaching the target of halving the proportion of hungry people by 2015. The report has urged countries in these regions 'to make considerable and immediate additional efforts' to meet the millennium development goals. Rice and wheat production in India stood at 104.40 million tonne and 92.46 million tonne in 2012-13 crop year (July-June). (Times of India 7/10/13) Living in poverty, and without government help (21) Ludhiana: Poverty continues to afflict many in the industrial city of Ludhiana. While the world would observe International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17, 30-year-old Kashi Ram, a rag-picker who lives in a slum near Sherpur Chowk, would be scavenging through the many garbage dumpsters of the city to feed his family of a wife and two children. With a mere earning of Rs. 2000 a month, Ram says lack of money has been such that he and his family cannot even afford three square meals a day. Originally hailing from Bihar, Kashi and his wife Sunita have been living in the Sherpur Chowk slum for four years now. “We have lost four children to poor health,” says Ram. “We could not afford their treatment.” Ram's wife Sunita is suffering from anaemia, a condition caused by iron deficiency in the body. Though the Centre-sponsored Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana - National Health Insurance Programme - provides for health insurance for people living below the poverty line (BPL), not many who are eligible for the benefit are aware of it. Even a state government-sponsored scheme for providing wheat flour and rice at subsidised rates to BPL families has not helped Ram. “We aren't aware of any such scheme,” he says. Kashi Bai, an 80-year-old woman living in the same slum for 20 years now, too has not benefitted from any scheme for the poor. “We don't have any card to get wheat and pulses at low rates, so sometimes we eat food with pickle or salt,” says Bai. Bai is blind and suffering from multiple health problems. “But medical teams only visit us during polio drives. Otherwise, no health official visits our area to educate us or conduct medical check-ups,” she says. Bai's son Mohan Lal is 52, but looks like a 70-year-old because of malnutrition and ill-health. Lal works at a cremation ground, but earns only that when a body comes there. Asked if he has benefitted from any government-sponsored scheme, he answers with a no: “I am unaware of any scheme for the poor. It is not rare for our children to sleep on an empty stomach.” Deputy commissioner Rajat Agarwal was not available for comment. However, contacted, district family welfare officer Dr Maninder Singh said they were providing folic acid tablets to anaemic women from the economically weaker section. “We do visit slums to create awareness. Anyone living there and requiring medical aid can visit nearby dispensaries,” he said. (Hindustan Times 16/10/13) Finance Ministry to decide on additional grant for food security by year-end (21) New Delhi: Additional allocation for the Centre’s ambitious Food Security Act will be decided during pre-budget meetings to be held before this year-end, Finance Ministry has said. The Ministry has already made allocation of Rs 10,000 crore as additional provision for national food security in its budget for 2013-14. This grant is in addition to Rs 80,000 crore for food subsidy for the current fiscal. “Additional allocation for National Food Security Act during the current as well as next financial year will be decided during the pre-budget meetings to be held between October to December, 2013,” the Finance Ministry said in reply to an RTI query dated October 9. The Ministry was asked about its proposal or decision to provide additional allocation to meet the expenses under the National Food Security Act. The Finance Ministry said it has not received any demand for additional allocation from any central government ministry so far. “Information on demands for extra budgetary allocation has not been received so far from any of the central ministries or departments,” it said in the reply. Parliament had on September 2 given its nod to Food Security Bill, considered biggest programme in the world to fight hunger, which seeks to provide highly subsidised foodgrains to the country’s two-third population. The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on August 7. It was passed by the lower house on August 26. After getting assent from President Pranab Mukherjee, the National Food Security Act was notified on September 12. The food security law,

which has been described by the ruling Congress as a “game changer” and slammed by the Opposition as a “gimmick” before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, guarantees 5 kg of rice, wheat and coarse cereals per month per person at Rs 3, Rs 2 and Rs 1 respectively. “Food security is as much a basic human right as the right to education or the right to health care. The National Food Security Bill is a promise of the UPA Government. “I sincerely hope that Parliament will pass the Bill as early as possible. Hon’ble Members will be happy to know that I have set apart Rs 10,000 crore, over and above the normal provision for food subsidy, towards the incremental cost that is likely under the Act,” Finance Minister P Chidambaram had said while presenting budget for 2013-14. (Business Line 17/10/13)

Who will bag middle class vote in Lok Sabha electio ns: Modi or Rahul? (21) Lucknow: India’s voters appear to be divided into two categories — Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s forgotten poor and the middle class being wooed, corporate style, by BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. On October 9, at Aligarh and Rampur in UP, Gandhi predicted that a government of ‘yuva, mahila aur garib’ (youth, women and poor) would come to power in 2014. Some political experts believed he had repackaged Indira Gandhi’s slogan ‘roti kapda aur makaan’ of the 1970s, which was drowned by cries of Mandal and Mandir a decade later. Others felt Congress strategists had factored the youth into Gandhi’s pro-poor outlook to counter the ‘Modi magic’, perceived to have enchanted the young electorate, besides vindicating Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speculation that the young, and not veterans, would helm UPA-3, if formed. Most, however, agreed Gandhi’s ‘bhar pet roti khaayenge, Congress ko vaapas laayenge’ slogan — pitched emotionally with Sonia Gandhi’s outburst after not being able to vote on the food security bill — followed Modi’s bid to capitalise on the middle class disenchantment with UPA-2, thanks to price rise. But while the NRI- and corporate-backed Modi brigade has not spelt out its priorities for the middle class, the Congress has felt the need to carry Rahul Gandhi’s pro-poor initiative to the masses. The party is aware that the food security bill could help it more than the land acquisition bill for staging a comeback in UP. The Indian State Hunger Index made by the International Food Research Institute in 2009 put 17 states in the ‘alarming’ category. “It is disconcerting that not a single Indian state falls in the ‘low hunger’ or ‘moderate hunger’ category, defined by the Global Hunger Index of 2008,” the report said. Another report by Badri Narain of the Dalit Resource Centre on Mushahars — a scheduled caste community numbering 1 million in UP, often driven by poverty to eat rats — in Varanasi underscored the ignorance level among the poor. Only one woman knew about the government’s decision to provide them food grains at Rs. 2 a kg against the Rs. 16 they were paying in 2009. “The ambitious food programme could prove to be the game changer if the Congress machinery provides it to the beneficiaries fast,” he said. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress reaped the benefit of the loan waiver scheme to win 21 seats in UP. The support of Muslims, who were angry with the Samajwadi Party for joining hands with Babri mosque ‘demolition man’ Kalyan Singh, was a factor too. BSP leader Mayawati has foreseen the political damage the food security bill can cause to her constituency. The doubts she raised in the Rajya Sabha about the viability of the scheme were published in a bulletin and circulated in the poll-bound states. She has now sought food grains for scheduled castes and tribes and other backward castes at half the cost proposed in the bill. The SP, too, is embarking on a ‘pichra varg yatra’ to foil the Congress’ plan to woo the poor away. Gandhi’s class, it seems, has more stakeholders than Modi’s. (Hindustan Times 24/10/13) Kudia villagers grapple with hunger and damaged Hom es (21) KUDIA (BALASORE): Around 50,000 residents in 52 villages of Bhogarai, Baliapal, Jaleswar, Basta and Sadar blocks are surrounded by water. One among these villages is Kudia in Sadar block. The approach road to the village has been washed away in the flood. People said as no one could reach them, they were forced to stay without food and shelter for four days. The village has a population of around 400, mostly tribals. They either work as daily wagers or labourers. Many of them do not have agricultural land and are also deprived of Government schemes. When flood water entered the village, some took shelter

on trees and others shifted to high lands. They alleged that relief provided to them was paltry and delayed. “We received cooked food only twice after remaining hungry for four days. So far, we have not received any rice. There is no work for us to eke out a living,” said Chhanu Marandi (60), a villager. This apart, flood victims alleged that the administration is indifferent towards their plight. Instead of following the 2011 census figure, the officials, they alleged, are depriving them of relief citing that their names are not found in the list. This is the third time that the village faced flood this year. It is situated on the bank of the Budhabalanga river. People said as the the breached embankment of the river was not repaired, the village was severely affected. (New Indian Express 25/10/13) Parliamentarians, civil society, children come toge ther to eliminating hunger..(21) NEW DELHI: A unique event in Delhi on Monday supported by the United Nations in India brought together a diverse group of Parliamentarians, representatives from diplomatic missions, the private sector, civil society and children to re-affirm their commitment to ending hunger and malnutrition in India. While India is home to 18% of the worlds' population, 25% of its people go hungry. The global ""Zero Hunger"" campaign launched by the UN Secretary-General, Ban ki Moon provides the country an opportunity to examine approaches to reducing the instance of hunger and malnutrition in the country. At a sit-down tea in the capital city, children from the ""Nine is Mine"" campaign, an advocacy movement led by children, along with experts drew attention to the five pillars of the global campaign which aims to ensure - 100% access to food, zero stunting of children, sustainable food systems, 100% increase in smallholder productivity and zero loss of food. Speaking at the event, Peter Kenmore, United Nations resident coordinator and representative of the Food and Agricultural Organisation in India said: "India's efforts at reducing hunger including through the National Food Security Act should be applauded." Through the innovative use of food, cartoons and performances, children from the Nine is Mine campaign expressed their vision for a hunger-free India. Talking about the link between malnutrition and hygiene in India, David Mcloughlin, deputy representative, UNICEF India said: "Almost half of all child deaths in India are due to malnutrition. Poor sanitation and hygiene worsen the situation making children more susceptible to disease resulting in stunting. Simple solutions like ensuring proper nutrition of the mother and new-born in the first 1,000 days and washing hands with soap after defecation, before preparing and eating are important steps towards creating a world with zero stunted children under two years." Linking the concept of a holistic, nutritious meal with India's tri-coloured national flag, Deepak, Ankur, Suraj and Pooja, children of Nine is Mine demanded for the right for the 'white' that represents rice, wheat and corn, the orange that represents lentils, curries, milk and protein, the green that represents vegetables and fruits, and the blue that represents safe drinking water.India has more stunted children than anywhere in the world. The country's small-holder farmers, those owning less than two hectares of farmland, comprise 78% of the country's farmers, but own only 33% of the total cultivated land. Further, nearly 30% of the country's fruits and vegetables perish due to lack of cold-storage facilities. (Times of India 29/10/13) Misuse of Anna Bhagya scheme worries govt (21) Bangalore: Close to four months after implementing its flagship Anna Bhagya scheme under which rice is sold at Re 1 per kg for below poverty line families, the fear of large-scale misuse of highly-subsidised foodgrain is worrying the State government. The Food and Civil Supplies department, it is learnt, has received feedback from its field officers that large quantity of rice being supplied under the scheme is sold back to the department. And it is suspected that a mafia involving the department officials, fair price shop owners, rice traders and middlemen is at work. The government, which is falling short of foodgrain requirement to implement the scheme, has been buying rice from traders through the online trading of National Commodities and Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDX). The scheme requires 2.46 lakh metric tonne of rice every month, but the State’s quota from the Centre’s Public Distribution System (PDS) is only 1.73 lakh MT per month. The rest is being bought by the State from various sources, including NCDX. The Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Corporation, which is a State government undertaking,

has bought about 14,000 MT in September and 17,000 MT in October from NCDX at rates ranging from Rs 22 to Rs 24 per kg. Official sources said the mafia is diverting the Anna Bhagya rice by generating fake bills at fair price shop level. The shop owners involved in the scam are generating two bills – one the fake bill that is issued to the beneficiary and another, official one, for record. The beneficiaries in many cases are not provided with full quota of rice, but for record it is shown as full quantity. Besides, the mafia is said to be making full use of the availability of large number of bogus ration cards to divert foodgrain. The cases of misuse of Anna Bhagya rice have been received from Belgaum, Mysore, Hassan, Hubli and Tumkur, and the department has cancelled the licence of close to 100 fair price shops so far for misusing the scheme. (Deccan Herald 31/10/13) Poverty: Man ends life after killing wife, child (2 1) BANGALORE: Unable to bear the pain of poverty, a man killed his wife, son and then ended his life at Hoskote on Wednesday night. Shivaraj Joshi (30) from Nepal, who worked as a security guard at a local factory, killed his wife Usha (30) and son Nikhil (3). Neelam, the older daughter, who was home at the time of the incident, managed to escape by running out of the house. The incident came to light when neighbours noticed the girl standing near the house and crying inconsolably. Soolibele police rushed to the spot and found a few empty bottles of poison. The police also found a suicide note which stated that no one was responsible for their death. Neighbours told police Joshi had been unwell and hadn’t been going to work for the last couple of days. The couple had also fought on Wednesday night. “We suspect a domestic feud may have been the reason, but investigation is on to ascertain the exact reason for the extreme step,” police said. (New Indian Express 1/11/13) Akshaya Patra to serve 50k meals in DK by 2015 (21) MANGALORE: The Akshaya Patra Foundation aims to serve 50,000 mid-day meals every day among schoolchildren in Dakshina Kannada district by 2015. The Foundation launched their 'Zero to Million' programme here on Monday to celebrate having served 25 million meals to about 25,000 students of 145 government aided schools from 2005 till date. With a vision, 'No child shall be deprived of education because of hunger', the programme was launched in 2005 with 300 students, said Sanandana Dasa, volunteer of Akshaya Patra Foundation. The menu consists of rice, sambar, pulses, curds or buttermilk, and special rice is served on different days of the week to create a variety in the menu, Dasa said. Every day the Foundation cooks around 2,300kg of rice and 4,200 litres sambar using around 500kg dal. Around 1,200kg variety of vegetables is cooked daily and served in different schools, he said. To minimize the cost and to ensure quality, the foundation has built a centralized kitchen which has been designed by the Akshaya Patra management. The facility consists of a series of mechanized steam-heated cauldrons, custom-built to cook nutrient, staple and native food. Mechanization has minimized human handling of food to ensure high standards of hygiene and cleanliness. Steam heating has accelerated the cooking process, enabling the Foundation to prepare meals on a large scale in less than five hours, he said. In order to ensure hygiene and safety, stainless steel containers are used to pack the food and custom-built vehicles are used to transport it. Using a fleet of vehicles, food is transported to the schools within a 50 km radius. Security personnel escort each vehicle to ensure safe delivery of meals. The vehicles drop off the meals in the schools and pick up empty containers on their return trip. The mapping of the schools to the vehicles has also been done efficiently, Dasa said. The Akshaya Patra programme has been supported by state government and Central governments, with a subsidy to support about 56% of the running cost of the Akshaya Patra programme. The Central government support has been routed through the state government. The programme has also been supported by many industries, foundations, individuals and philanthropists for the balance of running costs and for setting up and maintenance of the centralized kitchen. (Times of India 5/11/13)

Questions raised over Mars mission spending; Isro d efends (21) New Delhi: A section of social activists and scientists has questioned the need for India to spend Rs. 450 crore on a Mars mission at a time when the country is faced with hunger and poverty. Global Times, an English tabloid of the state-run People's Daily in China, queered the pitch further. "It (India) is not immune from critics at home and abroad, who wonder whether it's worthy for a country where… one third of the population is plagued by power shortages… to spend millions of dollars…for a few Mars pictures," the daily said on its website. However, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) chairperson K Radhakrishnan strongly defended the spending, saying the country's space programmes are "people-centric".The Mars mission, which was hailed by President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a milestone, will cost somewhere between Rs. 450-500 crore to the exchequer.Social activist Harsh Mander, former member of the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council, said: "I believe that in a country where 230 million people sleep hungry every night, where basic healthcare, clean water and sanitation facilities are not available… it (the Mars mission) reflects a remarkable indifference to the dignity of the poor." Former Isro chairman Madhavan Nair has described the mission as 'utter nonsense'. "National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has come out publicly… that there is no trace of life on Mars. There is a limit to fooling the people and fooling the nation," he had said on Monday. Amitabha Ghosh, India-born scientist with Nasa, also made some critical remarks about the Mars mission. "It will hardly be a novel accomplishment in the world of technology. Isro need not recreate what has already been done," he wrote in an article. (Hindustan Times 6/11/13) 'Faster decline in poverty since 2004' (21) NEW DELHI: Poverty has declined much faster since the UPA government came to power, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia said here Saturday. Delivering the 49th Foundation Day address at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses(IDSA), Ahluwalia said the country needs inflow of energy, technology, investment and trade to grow at eight percent in the coming years. He said the growth target of eight percent could be achieved only if difficult policy decisions are taken. Speaking about the decline in poverty, he said "Since the period 2004, there has been much faster decline in poverty compared to the period 1993-2004." On the opposition's criticism of the UPA government's economic performance, Ahluwalia said most of the attacks were ill informed. (New Indian Express 9/11/13) Another tribal infant dies at Attappady (21) PALAKKAD: A three-month-old girl child died at Kottathara in Attappady in the early hours of Friday, allegedly owing to malnutrition. As many as 39 tribal infants have died in Attappady since January this year despite various measures taken by the Central and State governments to address the issue. The child belonged to Lakshmi and Shivan of the Chundakulam tribal hamlet at Sholayur grama panchayat. This is the third such death reported from Attappady this month. The child, born premature at Coimbatore Medical College on August 22, had been kept there for a month. It weight increased by just 150 grams (from 800 grams at the time of birth) during the one-month period. The child was shifted to the Kottathara tribal specialty hospital on September 26. Its weight at the time of death was 1,400 grams. (The Hindu 10/11/13) APL families to enjoy free health benefits soon:  Khader (21) Mangalore: With the health department’s proposal to extend Vajpayee Arogyasri Scheme to Above the Poverty Line (APL) families, receiving Cabinet approval, a larger section of the society will enjoy free health benefits soon. Addressing a press conference in the city on Saturday, Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader said that the health programme which is now limited to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, will be extended to APL families under the name Rajiv Arogya Bhagya Scheme. The scheme is a step towards implementing universal health coverage. Under the scheme, APL ration card-holders can

avail treatments for eight tertiary health ailments including cancer, heart, kidney, neuro in the empanelled private hospitals in particular area. The patient has to bear 10 per cent of the total treatment cost, while the remaining amount will be borne by the government. With it, a larger section of the population can avail the health benefits, who many a times find it unaffordable to get quality treatments in super speciality hospitals, he said. For availing the medical benefit, the patient should produce APL ration card to Arogya Mitra appointed in the hospital and the patient should bear the expenses for additional facilities that they seek in the hospital. “The department has signed MoU with empanelled hospitals, and will fix the rate for every treatment, so that the hospitals can not charge exorbitantly. The government will transfer the treatment amount to hospitals concerned through Suvarna Arogya Chethana Trust. A total of 158 private hospitals will be brought under the scheme, of which nine hospitals will be from Mangalore,” Khader said. He also said that the department has plans to introduce health schemes for migrant workers from other states. Meanwhile, he said that ‘Ayush Pushti’ biscuits for anganawadi children was launched on pilot basis by Ayush Department on Friday at Bagalkot taluk and Jamakhandi. As many as 3,000 children will be covered initially. The doctors and anganawadi supervisors will monitor the physical and overall changes that are likely to occur in children due to the consumption of these ayurvedic biscuits, during next three months. (Deccan Herald 16/11/13) Poverty drives Tamil woman to contest Delhi polls ( 21) NEW DELHI: With nominations for assembly elections on, candidates are declaring assets in crores. Ishvari, a Tamil woman who has been fielded by actor Vijayakanth's DMDK in the Delhi assembly elections, doesn't understand what that means. She says she can't visualize money beyond a few thousands. She might just be telling the truth for she is worth only 11,000, as per her election affidavit. In fact, the 30-year-old is so poor that her four children cannot live with her in the tarpaulin tent erected on a pavement in Wazirpur — it is too small for them to sleep with their legs stretched. Instead, they live in their grandparents' one-room flat with nine others. The Delhi government had promised these slum-dwellers flats but is yet to deliver. Now this housewife has decided to change things in Wazirpur's JJ Colony and entered the fray by buying a form for 100 with borrowed money. With Tamilians dominating this slum cluster, Ishvari believes she has a fair chance. Her family, originally from Salem, shifted to Delhi about 20 years ago. This is the first time that a regional party from Tamil Nadu is fielding candidates in Delhi. "We have been living in such pathetic conditions and the government, as well as the opposition, ignored us. Most of the people here are Tamils, but people from other communities are also suffering here. We were promised flats long ago, but that never became a reality," she says, clad in a suit with an orange shawl draped around her shoulders. Her Husband Selvam is a car mechanic, but what he earns isn't enough to afford even a TV set for the family, let alone a proper room. He, however, has been very encouraging. "Winter is a difficult time to be living in a tent and we have shifted to my parents' house for the season. His income is not steady. There are months when we go without money. The children don't like to stay in the tent as it is small and there is nothing for their recreation. My father has a TV and they like it there," says Ishvari, a mother of three boys and a girl. The DMDK is banking on the 15 lakh Tamils who have made the capital their home. It has fielded candidates in 11 constituencies, including R K Puram, Palam and Trinagar. "In Wazirpur constituency alone, there are 15,000 Tamils but we are fighting for all the poor people living in JJ clusters, who are used as a vote-bank every time," says V N Dakshinamurthy, Delhi state DMDK secretary. Ishvari's symbol is 'drum' ('murasu' in Tamil). Fluent in Hindi also, she speaks with the residents in both Tamil and Hindi. The slum cluster where she lives has over 200 Tamils and many women work as maids in Ashok Vihar houses. (Times of India 17/11/13) State appoints nodal officers for food security sch eme (21) Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh government Sunday appointed four nodal officers for "successful implementation of food security scheme" in the state. Instead of naming the officers, government has decided to name the posts and the officers occupying these posts would automatically become the nodal officers for the

scheme. These posts include — Principal Secretary or Secretary Women welfare, Child Development and Nutrition; Principal Secretary or Secretary Basic Education, Principal Secretary Medical and Health and Principal Secretary Food and Civil Supplies. "Government of India has set the target of 2014 to implement the scheme completely. Accordingly, state government is taking steps towards its implementation in phased manner," said Deepak Trivedi, principal secretary, food and civil supplies, in an official statement. As per the work division, ensuring food for pregnant and lactating mothers, ensuring free of cost food for children between six months to six years of age and for malnourished children, arrangement for kitchen, drinking water and sanitation facilities at Anganbari centres would be the task of principal secretary or secretary women welfare, child development and nutrition department. Ensuring free of cost food for children between six years to 14 years of age or children till class five along with ensuring kitchen facility, drinking water and sanitation facilities at schools would be the responsibility of principal secretary or secretary basic education department. Principal secretary medical and health would make arrangements for providing Rs 6,000 delivery benefit to pregnant or lactating mothers. (Indian Express 18/11/13) Freeing the world from hunger (21) Ending hunger and poverty requires major national policy initiatives in developing countries. The United Nations Secretary-General has articulated a broad zero hunger vision, endorsed and embraced as a priority by national leaders in many developing countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Production of food by small cultivators in developing countries has a critical role to play in ending world hunger. But to increase support for smallholder agriculture in developing countries, a revision of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules on agricultural price support is necessary. Developed countries had very high support levels for agriculture when the Uruguay Round agreement was signed in 1994. Despite restrictions imposed under the agreement, most developed countries have retained high levels of support for agriculture by shifting most of their subsidies to the unlimited “Green Box” forms of support, not restricted by the Agreement on Agriculture. In contrast, owing to fiscal constraints, developing countries generally had much lower levels of support for agriculture when the agreement was signed. Due to constraints imposed by the Agreement, the levels of support for agriculture in most developing countries have barely been allowed to increase since then. Green Box subsidies in developed countries, although not directly linked to levels of production, have helped their farmers to innovate, invest and increase productivity by providing additional resources for investment and by effectively reducing risks associated with the investment. Such support has also extended social protection to the countryside. On the other hand, lacking comparable levels of support, cultivation by small producers in developing countries has become even less viable and uncompetitive. The WTO does not restrict Green Box types of support to agriculture. However, administrative and other constraints limit the possibility and feasibility of developing countries using Green Box subsidies. WTO provisions for policy instruments such as crop insurance to be counted under Green Box are extremely restrictive. Green Box measures such as decoupled payments — lump cash transfers to farmers — are not feasible in most developing countries because of domestic governance bottlenecks such as the absence of data, a lack of well-defined land titles, prevalence of informal markets, frequent market failures, and insufficient development of rural financial institutions…. (The Hindu 19/11/13) 3 lakh houses in rural Vellore don't have latrines (21) VELLORE: More than 3.07 lakh households under village panchayats in Vellore district lack latrines, according to the baseline survey carried out by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj. The survey aimed at covering the left out households and schools in rural areas during the previous survey conducted in 2001. It looked into the availability of individual household latrines, their functional status and coverage of schools. It was conducted under the revised guidelines of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan 2012-2013. The survey covered a total of 5,17,427 households— 1,32,212 houses of below poverty line (BPL) and 3,85,215 households in Above Poverty line (APL)— in 743 village panchayats in the district,

said the officials of DRDA. “The findings of the survey revealed that 3,07,908 households do not have latrine in rural areas in the district. Apart from carrying out the survey, the block level coordinators also created awareness among the villagers about the ill-effects of open defection. “We also identified village level facilitators to encourage the villagers to avail the government aid for the construction of latrine,” said an official. Such survey had been conducted in each district in the State to arrive at the total number of households without toilets. Based on the findings of the surveys, the State government would devise a project implementation plan for 10 years, the official added. A total of 1,935 schools, including government elementary, middle, high and higher secondary schools, were also covered under the baseline survey. The survey findings revealed that a total of 28 schools, including a school in Gudiyattam municipality, did not have latrine facility. “We have given the nod to construct 91 latrines in 27 schools, while the Gudiyattam municipality will take appropriate measures to construct toilets in its limit,” said the official. (New Indian Express 23/11/13) UN declares 2014 as international year of family fa rming (21) NEW DELHI: The United Nations has declared 2014 as the international year of family farming so as to support the farmers achieve food security and eradicate global poverty, according to the FAO. In both developed and developing countries, over 500 million family farms - defined as farms that rely primarily on family members for labour and management - produce the food that feeds billions of people, said FAO, the UN body. In many developing countries, family farms represent up to 80 per cent of all farm holdings, it added. "By choosing to celebrate this year, we recognise that family farmers are leading figures in responding to the double urgency the world faces today: improving food security and preserving the natural resources, in line with the Millennium Development Goals, with the debate on the post-2015 development agenda and the zero hunger challenge," FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva said. Emphasising upon the need to reposition family farming at the centre of national and regional development programmes, he said the governments need to lead the support to such families to that they can reach their full potential. "This includes offering technical assistance and policies that support the productivity increase of family farms; placing appropriate technologies within their reach; improving their access to land and water, credit and markets; and creating an enabling environment for further investments," he added. FAO said during 2014 it will promote broad discussion and cooperation at the national, regional and global levels to increase awareness and understanding of the challenges faced by smallholders and help identify efficient ways to support family farmers. All kinds of evidence show that poor family farmers can quickly deploy their productivity potential when the right policy environment is effectively put in place, it said. (New Indian Express 25/11/13) There is starvation in the country, says K.V. Thoma s (21) KOLLAM: Though the country is self sufficient in food production, the great strides achieved by the agricultural sector on this front is yet to reach the common man, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution K.V. Thomas has said. As a result of this shortcoming, there was still starvation in the country. Annually, around 2,200 lakh tonnes of food were produced in the country, but a good portion was exported, he said, while inaugurating the annual Bishop Jerome Memorial Paper Presentation Competition on “Food Security Act” organised by the Parent Teachers Association of Fatima Mata National College here on Monday. “The aim of the Food Security Act is to bring about a change in this situation. Through the Act, getting food from the government becomes a right of the people,” he said. For the Act to become effective, food production had to be augmented, and public distribution system strengthened. Prof. Thomas said the Act ensured nutritional food for pregnant women and children. Problems may crop up while implementing the Act, but these would be rectified, he said. Kollam Bishop Stanley Roman delivered the benedictory address. Chris Alice Ela Joseph of Alphonsa College, Pala, won the first prize in the competition. The second prize was won by John Mathew of St. Paul’s College Kalamassery and the third prize by Anjali J. of Younus College of Engineering, Kollam. Earlier, the

Minister declared a prize from the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs to the first prize winner of the competition. (The Hindu 26/11/13) Slowing economy has 1 in every 4 Indian in distress ' (21) New Delhi: More Indians are feeling the gloom of a faltering economy, a global poll has suggested, with as many as one in every four rating their lives poorly enough to be classified as ‘suffering’. “Suffering” has more than doubled in recent years as Indians begin to have a grim outlook on the future as well, according to US-based research firm Gallup’s report. The firm interviewed 5,000 adult Indians in 2012 as part of a total of 230,083 people surveyed across the world. "Average suffering in India more than doubled between 2006 to 2008 and 2010 to 2012. In 2012, a full quarter of Indians were suffering," Gallup’s statement said. The research firm classified respondents to the survey as "thriving," "struggling," or "suffering" according to how they rated their current lives and future prospects on a scale of zero to 10. The trend had a ripple effect across South Asia -- which led the world in suffering -- owing to India's strong economic ties with its neighbours, research firm Gallup said in a statement. "The significant deterioration in Indians' wellbeing is likely to be rooted in the country's disappointing economic performance," the statement added. Economic growth sunk from 9.4% in the first quarter of 2010 to 4.4% in the second quarter of 2013, the worst quarterly rate since 2002 and data on Friday is expected to show growth still below 5%, despite efforts by the scandal-tainted Union government to revive the economy. According to Gallup, suffering on average has increased worldwide in recent years. As many as 14% rated their lives poorly enough to be considered suffering in 2012, up from 11% in 2006-08. South Asia topped the regions for suffering, with the Balkans, Middle East and North Africa tied for second-place with 21%."Suffering in the (South Asian) region has increased enormously since the beginning of the global financial crisis, averaging 12% between 2006 and 2008, and 22% between 2010 and 2012," Gallup said. Gallup said the poll's margin of error was less than one percentage point. Australia and New Zealand were the countries considered most thriving, with just 2% of their population seen as suffering. The survey comes after a political row in India over how to accurately measure poverty, with the government issuing figures in August showing poverty has been slashed by a third since 2004. The government said 138 million Indians had emerged from poverty between the fiscal years 2004/05 and 2011/12, leaving the official number of poor at 269 million. The World Bank in a recent report said India has the greatest share of the world's poorest -- one-third living on $1.25 a day or less -- or 400 million. (Hindustan Times 27/11/13)

At WTO meet, India looks for support on food securi ty (21) Ahead of the WTO ministerial conference, commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma is trying to drum up support for India's position on public stockholding and food security. Sharma has also expressed disappointment that many developed countries were paying only "lip service" to other serious concerns on trade and export subsidies that are a part of the so-called Bali package. "There have been two key disappointments at the G-20 -that on tariff rate quota (TRQ) and on export subsidies," he told reporters on Monday. Trade ministers of 159 countries are set to meet for the Ninth WTO conference in Bali from Tuesday to give a shot at revival of the 12-year old Doha Round of global trade talks. The WTO "package" at Bali includes proposals on TRQ administration, export competition, agriculture subsidies, streamlining trade facilitation and packages for the least developing countries. The three-nation bloc of India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) are also slated to meet on Tuesday on the sidelines of the WTO talks. Meanwhile, addressing the ministerial meeting of the G-20, Sharma expressed disappointment over proposals for agro export competition issues and on TRQ administration, which he termed as "well below expectations"."On export competition, it is merely a political declaration, devoid of any substance. On TRQ, some developed countries can even benefit from a reverse S&D by opting out of the already weak commitment," he said, stressing that the current impasse in the Doha Round is a matter of serious

concern. G-20 countries had in the WTO ministerial in Hong Kong in 2005 decided to eliminate export subsidies by 2013 but now plan to pursue it as a top priority only after the Bali negotiations. The minister who is heading India's 30-member strong delegation at the Indonesian island also spent the day trying to build consensus amongst developing nations on public stockholding of food grains. ..(Indian Express 3/12/13) India refuses to trade food security at WTO (21) New Delhi: India on Wednesday rejected a proposal at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) conference that can potentially harm the country’s small farmers as ministers battled to end a deadlock over negotiations to set up a rule-based global trade regime. Developing countries want a deal to allow them to raise ceiling on food subsidies above what is permissible currently as well as a package for least developed countries. Developed nations have shown support for a “peace clause” that would agree to developing countries’ demands on food security for a period of four years. India, however, wants guarantee for further exemption until a permanent solution is negotiated. But developed countries are against any such move. “A trade agreement must be in harmony with our shared commitments of eliminating hunger and ensuring the right to food. These are an integral part of the global Millennium Development Goals,” commerce minister Anand Sharma said at the plenary session of the 9th WTO ministerial conference in Bali, Indonesia. For India, food security is non-negotiable, he said. Need for public stockholding of foodgrains to ensure food security must be respected, and to this end, WTO rules must be updated, he added. “The due restraint provision, in its current form, cannot be accepted. It must remain in force till we are able to agree on a lasting solution and provide adequate protection from all kinds of challenges,” the commerce minister said. WTO member countries, he said, have a shared responsibility in preserving the credibility of the WTO as a trade negotiating forum, and that India has remained constructively engaged in the negotiations as he expressed disappointment at the agricultural package describing these as mere statements of intent for least developed countries (LDCs) and several unresolved issues in the trade facilitation agreement. “Bali package must be substantive and historical imbalances in trade rules must be corrected in order to ensure a fair and equitable order,” he said. He also said that in view of inherent imbalances, “ we consider it premature to lend support to an inconclusive trade facilitation agreement.” “We must agree on a firm post-Bali work programme to conclude the DDA. Let Bali be remembered for bringing development back into focus,” Sharma added. As many as 25 nations including Nigeria, Argentina, Kenya, Jamaica, Brazil, Cuba, South Africa and Bolivia are said to have strongly supported India’s view that a permanent solution is must for the smooth implementation of the food security programme. During the meeting, which went for about two-and-a-half hours, about 25 out of 55 members, supported India’s stand on the food security issue. Addressing the media, WTO spokesperson Keith Rockwell said that during the long meeting in afternoon some members supported India’s stand. “Some African and Latin American countries have supported the India’s position on peace clause.” In the absence of a broad-based agreement on the Doha round of trade talks that started in 2001, member-countries are making a last-ditch attempt to work out areas where consensus can be reached for laying down the rules of global trade. (Hindustan Times 4/12/13) Cash transfer scheme for girls helps curb poverty i n Odisha (21) New Delhi: Conditional cash transfer schemes are fast becoming a measure of enhancing the efficiency of delivery of government programmes. The Odisha Girls’ Incentive Programme (OGIP) launched last year has already had effects on a wide range of domains – including increased access to financial resources, improved schooling outcomes and reduction in dropout rates. Under OGIP, all girls from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) joining class 9 for the session 2012-13 received an annual cash incentive amount of Rs. 2,000 in 10 monthly instalments. The money was transferred to the bank or post office savings accounts opened in the names of the girls. There is a monthly attendance conditionality of 75 per cent for receiving the money. The scheme is likely to benefit nearly 2.5 lakh SC

and ST girl students in the State. “For students who cannot even afford proper breakfast or lunch, the scholarship is a great lure to make them attend school. Scholarship money is reducing financial burden of poor parents. As attendance in school is leading to a financial benefit, parents think twice before engaging their children as child labour for small daily wages,” said Sushant Baidya Bhusan, project coordinator, Rayagada district. The programme is the collaborated effort of the Odisha government and is funded by the Department of International Development and the technical assistance is provided by IPE Global. The programme is being implemented across the 30 districts of the State, covering around 4.2 lakh SC/ST students (in 2013-14) studying across approximately 8,900 high schools. Further, bank accounts for almost 4.15 lakh students have been opened. “About 256 girls dropped out between classes 8 and 9 during the pilot year. This is about 50 per cent less than the number for the previous year,” said Ashwajit Singh, managing director, IPE Global. Early indications were that the focus on improving quality was bearing results. Preliminary analysis of the data collected revealed a 40 per cent reduction in dropout rates owing to the programme. Further, the overall mean attendance rates also showed an improvement of around 10 per cent when compared to the attendance of the students in their previous class (class 8). “Sensitisation of headmasters as well as students studying in class 8 is a major factor in this scheme. Sensitisation of probable beneficiaries for the session 2014-15 has started,” said Pradyumna Kumar Dash, welfare officer in Rayagada district. “This scheme has increased attendance of SC/ST girl students. Now these students are trying hard to keep their attendance above 75 per cent,” confirmed Mochiram Baliarsingh, a headmaster of Government Girls’ High School, Gudari. Another encouraging anecdote is of a girl who got married in Class 9 was convinced by the programs’ coordinators to re-join school after much resistance from her in-laws who were opposed to her education. This incident has stood as a towering example encouraging several others. (The Hindu 5/12/13) RTE depriving students of right to food: Panel (21) BHOPAL: Two years after Right to Education Act came into force, 45 per cent seats in private schools in the state reserved for children below poverty line (BPL) are still vacant. Members of Madhya Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child rights attributed the unavailability of mid-day meal scheme at private schools as a big reason for the vacancies. MPSCPCR members Vibhanshu Joshi and R H Lata have written to the Union ministry requesting amendments to the Act to ensure right to food for students studying in private schools under RTE Act. "The flaw is defeating the purpose of both RTE and the Food Security Act. The situation is like, either children get proper education or proper nutrition," Joshi told TOI. "The condition is same all over the country. If just Madhya Pradesh is taken into consideration, 1.75 lakh seats were reserved for children belonging to BPL families under RTE, but only 95000 seats have been filled," he said. "Non-availability of mid-day meal is one of the major reasons behind nearly 80,000 seats remaining vacant. For rest of 95,000 children they are being deprived of their right to food as Section 5 (1) (B) of Food Security Act ensures free meals for children studying in government schools, but forgets to mention BPL children studying in private schools under RTE," Joshi said. This is the situation when RTE is just 2 years old, the numbers are likely to rise in coming years, he said. (Times of India 6/12/13) World Trade Organization agreement to boost global growth, cut poverty: Leaders (21) Washington : The first-ever multilateral trade deal in the 20-year history of the World Trade Organization would boost global growth, jobs and cut poverty, and would eliminate red tape andbureaucratic delay for goods shipped across the globe, world leaders have said. US President Barack Obama welcomed the multilateral trade agreement, saying it would eliminate red tape and bureaucratic delay for goods shipped around the globe. "Small businesses will be among the biggest winners, since they encounter the greatest difficulties in navigating the current system. By some estimates, the global economic value of the new World Trade Organization deal could be worth hundreds of billions of dollars," he said. The World Trade Organization's Bali agreement also represents the rejuvenation of the multilateral trading system that supports millions of American jobs and offers a forum for the robust enforcement of America's trade

rights, he said. In the first-ever agreement reached after the launch of the Doha Round of trade talks, ministers from 159 countries approved the Bali package. Overcoming a string of failures over the years, the World Trade Organization reached the landmark agreement that can help boost global trade by USD 1 trillion, while taking on board concerns of countries like India to protect its food security scheme to provide subsidised grains to the poor. Indonesian Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan said the deal would "benefit all World Trade Organization members".British Prime Minister David Cameron said the "historic" agreement could be a "lifeline" for the world's poorest people, as well as benefiting British businesses to the tune of more than USD 1 billion. "The breakthrough agreement reached in Bali by the World Trade Organization (WTO) reaffirms the commitment of the international community to an open trade system which boosts global growth and jobs, and cuts poverty," said Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of IMF. In a statement, Lagarde said she fully support World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevedo's determination to use this opportunity to move the broader Doha Development Agenda forward, and overcome the significant challenges that still lie ahead. Influential US Republican Senator Marco Rubio said the successful World Trade Organization negotiations in Bali mark an important first step towards reducing global (Financial Express 9/12/13) Food security: Who'll foot the Rs 750cr bill? (21) LUCKNOW: The political brouhaha over the food guarantee programme and the blame game between Samajwadi Party government and Congress notwithstanding, making 'food security' a reality in UP is a tall order. Who will bear the additional Rs 750 crore the state would need to guarantee food security to its people, Centre or the state? No answers, yet. While the Centre would allocate annual 96.15 lakh metric tonne of foodgrain to UP to implement the programme, food and civil supplies department of the state has assessed the requirement of annual 98.04 lakh MT, which is 1.89 lakh MT more than Centre allocated for UP under the new programme. Whether the Centre is able to meet the demand or not is not clear. Centre was apprised of the roadblocks by UP earlier and a reminder has also been sent by state food and civil Supplies Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiyya on November 6, but officials are still waiting for the Centre's response. More than anything else, the biggest roadblock, however, is identification of 'priority households' for foodgrain distribution. Centre has instructed to cover 80% of population in rural areas and 65% in urban area. While the Centre has decided the target based on 'Hunger index', the state is not aware of the exact parameters based on which the hunger index has been worked out. Whom to identify as a beneficiary and who to leave out is a challenge for the state. UP will have to work out the 'exclusion criteria' but what it will be is not known right now. States like Rajasthan and MP have taken annual income as the basis to exclude people from the benefits of the programme. "We would depend on the data of socio-economic and caste census to identify the beneficiaries," said sources in the government. SECC, however, is a delayed exercise and its findings may not be out soon. In that case whether it will be possible for the state to meet the July 5, 2014 deadline to begin implementation of the programme is to be seen. As per the Act, the programme has to be implemented within 365 days from July 5, when the act came into force, in all the states. Though the state is ready with the preliminary guidelines to be placed before the Cabinet for approval, implementing the programme will be possible only after the contentious issues are resolved. The state has about 15.41 crore beneficiaries under the programme, said special secretary and additional food commissioner Ravindra. Antyodaya beneficiaries will continue to get 35 kg of foodgrains per family per month. But, BPL and APL category will be merged into a new category of beneficiaries called Priority Households, which will be given 5 kg food grain per person per month. While wheat will be distributed at Rs 2 per kg, rice would be given at Rs 3 per kg and coarse grain at Re 1 per kg. The government is trying all things possible to meet the deadline. A steering committee headed by chief secretary has been set up. It has four nodal officers, including principal secretaries/secretaries of women and child development, primary education, medical and health and food and civil supplies. The fact that food guarantee programme is an amalgamation of schemes like midday meal, meals for expecting and lactating mothers and integrated child development services (ICDS)

programmes, its ambit is far-reaching. "How lactating and expectant mothers are given cooked meals needs to be planned," said sources. (Times of India 11/12/13) 'Poverty death' fuels protests (21) BOKARO: The death of a septuagenarian, reportedly due to poverty, at Bhaata Tola in Gomia block on Tuesday stoked controversy and led a local MLA to announce demonstration against the distrct administration. Sakina Khatoon reportedly died of poverty as the district administration failed to provide oldage pension to here since last a year. However, administration officials claimed that after knowing about Khatoon's status, pension money was paid to her. Congress MLA from Gomia Madhavlal Singh alleged negligence on part of the district administration and the state government and announced to stage dharna in the assembly on December 16. Singh said Khatoon was bed-ridden since last month. Her husband, Peer Baksh, had died four years ago. Singh said he and his party workers had approached the administration for oldage pension to her that was due since last year, but in vain. "I had personally called DC, Bokaro, Uma Shanker Singh on Monday 3 pm and narrated the suffering of Khatoon. I demanded him to pay old age pension urgently... But before the administration could provide help, Khatoon died on Tuesday," said Singh, adding that it was the administration's negligence. (Times of India 12/12/13) Migration of labour escalating into neo-bondage sys tem (21) KHARIAR (ODISHA) Though the gruesome chopping off of the palms of two migrant labourers has badly shaken the residents of this poverty-stricken region of Odisha, it has not called a halt to others embarking on the journey into the dark alleys of bondage, humiliation and even death. Everybody appears dumbstruck after hearing the horrible incident, but they feel the need was to follow the dictats of the labour contractors which would ensure two square meals a day for their families. Hordes of migrant workers are now busy bundling up their bare necessities and waiting for the signal of labour contractors to start their journeys to brick-kilns of Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Karnataka. Jasoda Patel, a 65-year-old resident of Sunarisikwan village under this remote block, and a regular migrant worker till this year, explained as to why administration could not prevent people from being transported. “We have already taken the loan advances from labour agents two months ago. My family members have already spent a big share of the loan while a small amount is left with us. At this moment, we have no other option than following the dictats of the sardar (labour contractor),” said Ms. PatelSix of her family members, including her son and daughter-in-law, are under contract to work in a brick-kiln in Andhra Pradesh. Her fellow villager, Raidhar Sunani, said 70 per cent of families in the village were under obligation to work in brick manufacturing units. Kirikita, a village not far away from Sunarisikwan, has a similar story. Some families have already left while others are preparing to board trains from undisclosed locations. Labour migration from this poverty stricken region has become a part of life for many years now. For poor families, although migration sometimes proves to be threat to their life, it hands them the crucial cash to spend at festivals and other social events. For labour contractors, the migration makes their cash registers ring. “Conservatively, the worth of labour migration trade touches Rs 70 to 80 crore in western Odisha. The trade flourishes right under the nose of administration as government officials who are supposed to stop distress migration, are bribed at different stages,” said Umi Daniel, head of Migration Information and Resource Centre (MiRC), Aide et Action South Asia and a researcher on migration. Mr. Daniel said, “slowly and steadily, the migration from western Odisha is turning into a neo-bondage system, wherein labour contractors dispatch thousands of labourers by luring them into debt trap. The work condition of labourers will deteriorate further as in neoliberal economy, money is being pumped into cities and labourers are transported from rural heartlands.” (The Hindu 20/12/13) Condition of street children remain worst (21) GUWAHATI, Dec 21 – Notwithstanding the tall claims made by the government on implementation of the welfare schemes, the condition of street children continues to remains worst in Guwahati. Contrary to the

general perception, a survey has found that driven by poverty, nearly 60 per cent of these children flocking the streets, railway station and flyovers of the city are from rural Assam. Conducted in the entire municipal area of the Guwahati city, the survey did a headcount of 5,534 street children in Guwahati. No less disturbing is the number of such children, as the researchers involved in the study are anticipating the existence of many more of them here, who have not been included in the study. ‘Rapid Assessment Survey of Street Children of Guwahati’ conducted by Snehalaya, a centre for child rights, along with Don Bosco Research Centre, Mumbai and National Forum for Young at Risk (YaR), Delhi, was released on Friday, highlighting the urgent need for their rehabilitation. A significant number of such children are involved in rag-picking and other menial activities for income generation, where there is no age restriction. “About 60 per cent of the street-involved childrens’ place of origin was Assam followed by Bengali-speaking children (31.1 pc). The study also found children from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Nepal and Tripura. Majority of such children are from the 12 to 17-year age group,” said Father Fr Luckose Cheruvalel, director of Snehalaya, addressing the media. Children who were from Assam had their roots in neighbouring districts, who migrated from rural to urban areas for livelihood, either alone or along with families. “Though collecting the data related to such children is a mammoth task given the mental blocks among these children not to reveal their identities, we, however, did a random selection of 251 such children from different parts of the study and our experts interviewed them,” he added. Whereas the 10-14 year age group constituted nearly half of children surveyed, the presence of boys (80.5 pc) significantly outnumbered girls (19.5 pc). The lack of action in this matter is evident from the striking revelation that nearly 40 per cent of the boys and girls surveyed have spent six years or more on the streets of Guwahati. The duration of girls’ stay was, however, shorter due to various possible reasons as migration of family, marriage, human trafficking or rescue by NGOs. “The problem of street children in the cities is very complex and it calls for a carefully- designed policy and intervention programmes to bring changes in their lives. Lack of timely intervention is perhaps the biggest cause of law-and-order problems as such deprived and disgusted section of our society might opt for the wrong means very easily,” said Father VM Thomas, head of Don Bosco Society, Guwahati, while releasing the study. (Assam Tribune 22/12/13) Socio-economic caste census delayed (21) New Delhi: The socio-economic caste census (SECC) undertaken by the government in 2011 to gather information on the condition of people across the country is still far from complete. It is aimed at identifying BPL (below the poverty line) households that can benefit from the Centre’s welfare schemes. The survey is being carried out by trained enumerators, who are mostly members of panchayats or village-level MGNREGS secretaries. “The SECC could not be completed as targeted due to various factors. The state of preparedness of all States is not similar,” said a Rural Development Ministry official. The SECC has seven deprivation indicators to rank households on a scale of 0 to 7. Households with the highest deprivation score will have the highest priority for inclusion in the BPL list. Additionally, households without shelter, the destitute, manual scavengers, primitive tribal groups and legally released bonded labourers will have the ‘highest priority’ for inclusion. One of the main reasons for the delay in the exercise is that Assembly and local bodies elections intervened in some States. Besides, enumeration work took more time to complete than anticipated, the official said. More specifically, the procedure of a Verification and Correction module, incorporated into the process to improve the ‘robustness’ of data, is also likely to have resulted in a time over-run. The management information system for the census will be developed by the National Informatics Centre. The SECC database will provide policymakers authentic information on caste-wise population break-up in the country. Based on that, the government can evaluate the performance of its past schemes and update them accordingly. So far, Haryana Nagaland, Daman & Diu have published the draft list. (The Hindu 26/12/13) Don't marry off daughters in houses without toilets : Nitish (21)

Rajgir (Bihar): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday exhorted people not to marry off their daughters in families which do not have toilets in their houses. Speaking at a function, Nitish said absence of toilets particularly affect women who suffer 90 per cent of their ailments because of attending to the nature's call in the open. Toilets in homes will not only mitigate health problems of the fair gender, but also ensure their dignity, he said. Don't marry off daughters in houses without toilets: Nitish said toilets in homes will not only mitigate health problems of the fair gender, but also ensure their dignity. Nitish said the government had been providing Rs 10,000 assistance to above poverty line and below poverty line families for construction of toilets to meet over 90 per cent of the expenditure for the purpose. (CNN-IBN 29/12/13) China's rural poverty dips further to 100 million: Report (21) Beijing: China still had some 100 million rural residents living in poverty though their numbers dwindled to nearly 67 million during 2010 to 2012, according to an official report. By the end of 2012, there were nearly 100 million rural residents still living in poverty, the report issued by the State Council or China's cabinet, said. The latest figure was conveyed to lawmakers at a bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's parliament last week. The director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, Liu Yongfu said the per capita annual net income in key counties affected by poverty increased from 3,273 yuan (537 US dollars) to 4,602 yuan (753 US dollars) in the 2010 to 2012 period, annual growth of 18.6 per cent. Infrastructure in these areas has constantly improved, said the report. A highway linking Tibet's Medog County, the last roadless county in China, opened to traffic in October 2013. Rural education has moved forward. At the end of last year, 97 per cent of children at age of 7-15 in key counties had attended school. A development-oriented poverty reduction outline for rural China (2011-2020), which was promulgated in 2011, set the per capita annual net income of 2300 yuan as the new rural poverty threshold, significantly up on the original standard. In 2011, the Chinese central government put 227 billion yuan of into the poverty relief fund, up 40.4 per cent from the previous year. In 2012, the figure reached 300 billion yuan, up 32 per cent year-on-year. Prosperous provinces and cities have shared fiscal funds with disadvantaged provinces and cities to help fight poverty, the report said. However, challenges still exist. Many children in remote areas walk two to three hours a day to school and dropout rates in those areas are high. Medical expenses in poor counties were 60 per cent of the average rural level. Many are unable to see doctors when necessary, Liu said in the report. The poverty stricken areas are usually ecologically fragile, making poverty relief more difficult. Many rural people are dragged into poverty by natural disasters or ill health. A national poverty relief information database will be established to get a better picture of the overall poverty situation and make the work more specific, the report said (Zee News 29/12/13) Narendra Modi questions Jharkhand's poverty Ranchi: Jharkhand is endowed with rich natural and human resources and yet it has remained poor despite 13 years since the new state came into being, Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said on Sunday. Addressing a public rally in Ranchi, Modi said if a survey report was submitted to the leading economists of the world, they would certainly say that the state would have been among the most prosperous regions in the world, if the resources were properly utilised. "Why is Jharkhand is still poor and poverty is growing even if it has rich resources?" Modi wondered and then gave the answer himself: "I would say the party in whose hands the reins were in since Independence should reply." He said that the people of the region had been demanding a separate state for a long time to determine their own destiny, but the "sultanate" in Delhi did not hear and rejected the demand. "It was former prime minister A B Vajpayee who understood the aspirations and dreams of the people of the region and created the state along with Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh," Modi said. "The new state was created accepting that it will be 'progressive', but why has it not happened in 13 years?" Modi wondered,

comparing the state with Chhattisgarh which, he said, had "sped away on the path of development".He attributed Chhattisgarh's "success" to the people's desire for development and for the BJP. He said the next five years would be crucial for the state. Referring to a sick PSU in Ranchi, he stated how he had revived Gujarat Fertiliser Corporation which was on the verge of closure by ensuring professionalism and technological upgradation and above all putting a cap on unnecessary expenditure. (Indian Express 30/12/13)