K V Thomas, Kerala's Special Representative in New Delhi, forecasts a third term for the CPI(M)-led LDF government, attributing the UDF's potential failure to internal conflicts and criticising the BJP for introducing 'consumerism' into Kerala politics.
Congress leader V D Satheesan has criticised Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accusing him of appeasing both majority and minority communities for political gain. Satheesan's remarks follow allegations of a CPI(M)-BJP deal in the upcoming election and Vijayan's claim that Satheesan has RSS support.
Senior AICC member and former Union minister K V Thomas, who has been at loggerheads with the party's state leadership, on Wednesday said he would campaign for the ruling Left Democratic Front candidate Jo Joseph in the upcoming by-poll in the Thrikkakara Assembly constituency, but reiterated that he would not quit the Congress.
'Even one accident can cause problems for the entire coastal system.'
The Narendra Modi government will purchase all farm produce at minimum support price, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in Rajya Sabha on Friday.
When KV Thomas took over as minister of state for food and consumer affairs (independent charge) on January 19, 2011, he was tasked with taking forward one single, important objective: expedite the implementation of the National Food Security Bill.
The government will consider imposing stock holding limits on food items like pulses and cooking oils to check hoarding for containing price rise, Food Minister K V Thomas said.
A little over a year after it retained power in Kerala with a massive victory, the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front suffered a huge setback on Friday in a bypoll held to Thrikkakara assembly constituency, with Congress candidate Uma Thomas winning with a historic margin of 25,016 votes, giving a boost to the morale of the party-led United Democratic Front in the southern state.
A day before the Cabinet considers issuing an ordinance to implement government's ambitious National Food Security Bill, Food Minister K V Thomas said all UPA allies, including Nationalist Congress Party, are on board and there was a consensus on issuing an ordinance.
The government which introduced amendments to the landmark Food Security Bill in the Lok Sabha Thursday could not get it passed as opposition stalled proceedings in the House over killing of Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan and other issues.
The current cost of the food subsidy is Rs 1 trillion.
A decision on the way ahead for the ambitious Food Security Bill is expected to be taken on Wednesday with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi holding deliberations on the matter.
Food bill, which is dubbed as the world's largest social welfare programme, aims to give legal right over an uniform quantity of 5 kg foodgrains at a fixed price of Rs 1-3 per kg via ration shops to 67 per cent of the population.
The food ministry has supported the suggestion of Rangarajan panel to allow export of 2 million tons of wheat from government stocks immediately to ease pressure on storages, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.
Giving a reform boost to the commodity futures market, the government on Thursday cleared a Bill that seeks to provide more power including financial autonomy to regulator FMC and introduce new categories of products.
Concerned over possible fall in pulses production due to poor monsoon so far, the government is considering reintroducing its scheme to sell subsidised pulses through ration shops to give relief to common man from price rise.
Food Min says decision on Rangarajan panel's report in a time bound manner.
PAC Chairman K V Thomas, however, remained non-committal over these demands.
Although the monsoon is not active, it is not sluggish either he said, adding that the eastern coast, central India and north east are getting fairly good rains. Even Maharashtra and parts of peninsula are having rain.
Inflation declined marginally to 7.45 per cent in October even though prices of food items like rice, wheat pulses and potato showed a rising trend.
It is unusual for Congress chief ministers to say no to Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi, but some of them have gathered the courage to oppose Gandhi's dream project.
Hallmarking will guarantee the purity or fineness of the precious metal.
Government's cheap food distribution covers 68 per cent of the population.
Stepping up their campaign on the Mullaperiyar issue, Union Ministers from Kerala on Monday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking his intervention in ensuring the saftey of the 116-year-old dam. Union Ministers Vayalar Ravi, K V Thomas, K C Venugopal,Mullapally Ramachandran and E Ahamed met Dr Singh with a demand to rein in Tamil Nadu's insistence on increasing the water level in the reservoir for enhancing water supply to the state.
The two major changes include: keeping an option open for supplying more than 3 kg of subsidised foodgrains to general households and widening its reach to include lactating women, destitute and aged people and providing nutritious food to children.
The government on Wednesday sought public comments on the draft National Food Security Bill, which seeks to provide a legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrains to 75 per cent of the country's rural population and 50 per cent of urban India.
Union minister of state for agriculture and consumer affairs K V Thomas launched the facility at a function in Kochi on Saturday.
Main difference has been on including people above the poverty line in the Food Security Bill.
This has been done after most states failed to lift the additional allocations, despite repeated reminders from the central government.
The 14-member panel headed by Consumer Affairs Secretary Rajiv Aggarwal today deliberated and suggested ways to check food wastage at weddings, big hotels and other social events.
On June 2, the ministry had constituted a 15-member committee, headed by Consumer Affairs Secretary Rajiv Aggarwal, to deliberate and suggest possible ways and means to check food wastage.
The spurt in economic development triggered by globalisation would fail to reach the entire humanity unless every one in the world overcame greed, selfishness and fear, Mata Amritanandamayi said on Monday at her ashram in Kollam, Kerala.
If Minister of State for Food K V Thomas has his say in the proposed Food Security Bill, the eldest woman in the family -- and not the patriarch -- will be designated the head of family in the ration card.
Official data shows that the country's godowns are currently filled with 60 million tonnes of grains, and about 1.7 million tonnes are lying in the open in Punjab.
The party renominated Shashi Tharoor from the Thiruvananthapuram seat.
Inviting the business community of Commonwealth nations to invest in India, Minister of State for Agriculture and Consumer Affairs K V Thomas said opportunities for business during sports events are very large.
Expressing confidence, Food Minister K V Thomas said on Friday the government is not 'worried' about food inflation, which is showing a decline trend and may come down to 7 per cent soon.
A whopping 59 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables go wasted in the country in a year due to lack of proper cold storage infrastructure, Minister of State for Food and Agriculture K V Thomas said on Tuesday.
Already, the government has projected a dip in the production of summer foodgrain by 21 million tonnes, triggering fears about further price rise.
The total outstanding debt of farmers to banks in the country stood at Rs 5,90,728 crore on March 31, 2009, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Friday.
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