New Delhi: In what could be seen as a significant concession to the powerful sugar lobby, the government on Thursday cleared the decontrol of the product. The move will likely raise the sugar prices as decontrol means that the manufacturers of the product will now get to decide on the prices without government intervention.
The move will also mean increased expenditure for the government as it provides sugar to the poor at subsidised rates. Sugar manufacturers, however, argue that the decision will benefit the farmers as they will get better returns due to raised prices.
Food Minister KV Thomas, however, said that the "PDS (Public Distribution System) sugar will continue at the same rate, same quantity". "States are free to purchase sugar through transparent system. No decision has been taken on excise duty," he added.
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08:09 PM, Apr 04, 2013
Tamil Nadu on Wednesday said the Central Bill on Food Security was replete with "confusion and inaccuracy" and that the state should be exempted from the implementation of the proposed measure. Food Minister R Kamaraj said Tamil Nadu should be allowed to implement the existing Universal Public Distribution System (UPDS) which was "more effective, robust and time tested". ...
04:53 PM, Feb 13, 2013
Over the years, India has seen a criminal waste of food grains, but now the Karnataka food department is trying to ensure that doesn't happen any more. They now have a monitoring system in place. ...
10:16 AM, Jan 29, 2013
New Delhi: Aiming to eliminate bogus ration cards and ensure that food subsidy reaches the genuine beneficiaries, the government on Thursday approved a Rs 884 crore plan for end-to-end computerisation of the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) in the 12th Five-Year Plan on a cost-sharing basis with states. Around 18 crore households, including above poverty line and below poverty line, get subsidised ration under the TPDS. The cabinet committee on...
10:53 AM, Oct 05, 2012
New Delhi: It is expected to rain more reforms as the Union Cabinet is set to meet on Monday. A massive overhaul of the Public Distribution System is on the cards. Sources say the government is likely to pump in Rs 42,000 crore to check the leakage in the system. The system is said to be having a leakage of almost 62 per cent. Under new system, the consumers will...
07:55 AM, Sep 24, 2012
New Delhi, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said on Wednesday it will be difficult to implement the proposed Food Security Act with existing distribution system and suggested massive reforms. "I will be failing in my duty if I do not emphasise the fact that the Food Security Act will never succeed in achieving its goal in letter and spirit, if we try to push the same through the existing PDS apparatus,"...
01:20 PM, Feb 08, 2012
Mumbai: An RTI query has unearthed a major scam in the Public Distribution System, as many as 42 lakh bogus ration cards have been issued in Maharashtra leading to large scale theft of food grain. A PIL in the Bombay High Court has alleged grains meant for the state's poor are being offloaded on to the wrong hands. The petition filed by a member of Anna Hazare's anti corruption NGO...
06:27 AM, Dec 05, 2011
New Delhi: Despite India spending over two per cent of GDP in social protection schemes, their returns in terms of poverty reduction are yet to reach full potential, a World Bank report has said, pointing to "high leakages" in PDS and "uneven implementation" of MNREGA across states. The report, the first comprehensive review of India's social welfare and anti-poverty initiatives, said about 60 per cent of grains released by government...
06:36 PM, May 18, 2011
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02:44 PM, Dec 11, 2010
New Delhi: Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the government is considering a hike in the quantity of foodgrains under the Public Distribution System (PDS) along with an upgradation in the number of eligible Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. "The government is considering an overall increase in PDS including an upgradation in the number of eligible BPL families," Pawar told reporters here after a meeting of the Empowered Group...
10:28 PM, Sep 02, 2010
New Delhi: Kevin Pietersen on Thursday described his swashbuckling unbeaten century as one of his favourite knocks, which helped his team Delhi Daredevils register a five-wicket win over Deccan Chargers in an IPL 5 match here. It is an amazing feeling to score a century in T20 cricket. This is my first in this format, so it has to be my favourite, Pietersen said after he smashed 103 off 64...
02:10 AM, May 14, 2008
Mohali: The management of Kolkata Knight Riders rubbished reports suggesting that they have issued an embargo on players from talking to the media apart from scheduled press conferences. We have just heard from the Kolkata media about this. There are reports that we are not allowing any interaction with the players other than the official press conferences. I want to say on record - that's not true. There is no...
12:05 PM, May 13, 2008
This after CNN-IBN exposed how rotten Australian wheat was being sold to poor. ...
01:09 AM, Oct 08, 2007
The Australian wheat distributed to the poor is worm-eaten and full of dirt. ...
11:22 PM, Oct 03, 2007
