India's food security concern at WTO needs solution: Modi
Going ahead with its "game changer" measure for next Lok Sabha polls, the Congress on Tuesday rolled out the ambitious food security scheme in three states -- Delhi, Haryana and Uttarakhand with party President Sonia Gandhi hailing the measure as "historic" and "unparalleled".
A bench comprising justices T S Thakur and Vikramajit Sen declined to hear the plea and asked the petitioner to approach the high court for redressal of his grievances.
European Commission has claimed that its agriculture proposal submitted to the World Trade Organisation is fair and a win-win with sufficient safeguards to protect food security of developing countries including India.
Kharge's remarks came after Modi on Friday said the Congress stands "badly exposed" in front of people for promising to them what the party knows it will never be able to deliver.
India's Food Security Act entitles 82 crore people to 5 kg of foodgrains per person a month at Rs 1-3 per kg.
The Empowered Group of Ministers headed by Pranab Mukherjee has cleared the Food Security Bill, paving the way for Right to food to be made a fundamental right backed by legal provision. The bill is strongly supported by Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Attacking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the proposed Food Security Bill, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said the bill, in its current form, will push the country toward "malnutrition".
Alagu Perumal Ramasamy from Chennai has plans to supplement the diets of a substantially large population in a limited way by raising fruit-bearing saplings.
The Centre on Monday announced seven big programmes for the holistic growth of agriculture and allied sectors with a total outlay of nearly Rs 14,000 crore, as it aims to improve farmers' income. The Union Cabinet approved seven big-ticket programmes related to the farm sector, including a Rs 2,817-crore digital agriculture mission and a Rs 3,979-crore scheme for crop science. "The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved seven schemes to improve farmers' lives and increase their incomes at a total outlay of Rs 13,966 crore," an official statement said.
Most Congress leaders felt the government should introduce an ordinance so that the party can get the credit for the legislation that will provide food security to millions in the country.
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.
India would be represented by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, who arrived in Moscow on Wednesday night on a three-day visit.
Amid talk of a special session of Parliament on the Food Security Bill, government said all options are open on the issue.
The government on Thursday sent the ordinance on food security to President Pranab Mukherjee for his consent.
The Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday termed as misleading the announcement of implementation of food security scheme by the city government and said it will meet the same fate as other schemes like Rajiv Ratna Awas yojna, Annashri yojna and Antyodaya yojna.
The real challenge before the government is to improve the institutions that are charged with the responsibility of delivering food to the consumer through the existing public distribution system (PDS).
Dar also said Pakistan views Russia as an important player in the West, South and Central Asia, and strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia remains an important priority for Pakistan's foreign policy.
Experts say the Bill should include higher-value food items than just cereals
Referring to high oil, food and metal prices across the world that has left an increased pressure on inflation, Nath said the present global food market scenario was a call on the economies of the South East Asian region to remap their positions and reallocate resources. Pointing out that several countries had taken steps to scrap export of food products, the minister said India had announced the National Policy for Farmers.
Brinda Karat was addressing a convention for the right to food and against price rise in New Delhi.
It will also end the below and above poverty line (BPL and APL) demarcation, prevailing in the current public distribution system.
WTO's new director has said that the issue needs to be addressed in a positive manner.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to oppose the Food Security Bill, and has also called for a meeting of all chief ministers for a discussion on the issue.
In the proposed law, beneficiaries have been divided into two categories-- priority households and the general households.
The government is being pushed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to put the food bill on fast track as the Congress had promised a 'right to food' in its 2009 election manifesto, reports Anita Katyal
Hailing the agreement reached between India and the US aimed at resolving the stalemate over the WTO trade facilitation pact, Australia on Friday said the gains from the deal once it is sealed are "significant" and the developing nations would be its Hailing the agreement reached between India and the US aimed at resolving the stalemate over the WTO trade facilitation pact, Australia on Friday said the gains from the deal once it is sealed are "significant" and the developing nations would be its biggest beneficiaries.biggest beneficiaries.
Team Anna on Monday evening demanded that Lokpal Bill be passed by Parliament before the legislation on Food Security to ensure that the money spent on ensuring food for all reaches the deserved without any diversion of funds.
Cabinet had earlier this week deferred a decision on the much-discussed issue on this ground.
The Doha Round of talks of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) faces a new challenge and if some statements emanating after the General Council meeting on July 25 at Geneva are to be taken at face value, this could derail the process of trade liberalisation through a multilateral route for some time.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that the agreement on food security and trade facilitation will have to go hand-in-hand.
While the motives of the Bill are of course laudable, there is every likelihood that the consequences of its passage will be dire.
To translate into more spending on education, health, and nutritious food.
India and other developing nations, on the other hand, want the peace clause until a permanent solution is found on the matter for smooth implementation of the food security programme.
"We have suggested a fund for drought or flood, and when our production is hit. The fund will be with the states which the Centre will provide. The implementing agency will be the respective state governments," said K V Thomas, minister of state for agriculture and food.
In what could come as a piece of good news, hunger in India - as measured by the Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU) by the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) - has come down from 16.6 per cent of the population in the 2020-2022 to 13.7 per cent in 2021-23, the latest report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2024) showed. This means that around 39.3 million people have come out of undernourishment between the two periods, NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand said on Tuesday.
G-20, the grouping of developed and emerging market economies, will focus on food security but issues concerning India like rising prices of vegetables may not come up for discussions at a meeting in Paris next week.
Ahead of the crucial World Trade Organisation General Council meeting in Geneva next week, India on Saturday said it would not compromise on food security and livelihood concerns and demanded substantial changes in the draft framework to make it acce
Food security, minority welfare and legislation to deal with communal violence ranked high in the 14-point focus area listed by the newly-constituted National Advisory Council (NAC) headed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi at its first meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.
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