Wrong policies of the government have been responsible for the prevalent food insecurity in the country, alleged activists. They also said the proposed National Food Security Act ignores the root causes of hunger and it deliberately leaves untouched the structural roots of the malnutrition crisis.

Though the revival of monsoon over most parts of the country perked up hopes of the farm ministry to have a bumper kharif crop, it brought to the fore the shortage of space to store it.

The National Advisory Council headed by Sonia Gandhi will have to strike a balance between the social welfare agenda and fiscal prudence in order to achieve the aim of universal entitlement under the

Even as Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) started discussing the Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, civil society groups expressed hope their concerns would be addressed now.

The National Advisory Council, headed by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, will review the draft Food Security Bill on Thursday.
As part of the exercise, the NAC will look into the “deficiencies” of the draft, earlier approved by an EGoM headed by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, and suggest ways to address them.

Around 12 per cent monsoon deficiency in June has set the alarm bells ringing in the government circles keeping in mind the drought of 2009.
Though it is the initial phase of the Kharif sowing season, the government is keeping a close watch on the monsoon movement hoping to maximise crop production this y

The National Advisory Council (NAC), headed by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, will consider ways to boost Indian agriculture as part of its drive to review the draft food security bill on July 1.

The National Advisory Council headed by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi appears to be driving the Food Security Bill, pushing the empowered Group of Ministers on food, headed by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, to the back seat. Concerned over the delay in drafting of the key legislation, which was promised in the Congress manifesto in the 2009 general elections, the NAC chairperson has asked the members to work on it with a “sense of urgency”.

An empowered group of ministers (EGoM) on food is likely to consider a Planning Commission proposal to shift grain allocation to the BPL under PDS from household to individual basis.

Focusing on providing skills to the unemployed rural youth, the government is all set to bury the unproductive Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY), replacing it with the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM).