News Analysis India

Tag: PDS

  • Centre’s ‘sinister’ design to end MSP, food security, PDS to continue: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday alleged that even after the rollback of three “black” farm laws, the Centre’s “sinister” plan to end assured price, food security for the poor, government procurement and public distribution system will continue.

    He also took on the BJP-led Centre, saying there had been no word from it on framing a law to guarantee the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that the government had decided to repeal the three farm laws.

    Sidhu on Sunday said, “Today, as we rejoice in our victory against the Centre’s three black laws…Our real work has just begun. The Centre’s sinister plan to end MSP, end food security for the poor, end government procurement and end PDS will continue without the farm laws. It will be now hidden and more dangerous.”

    In another tweet, the former cricketer said, “The Centre’s design to give procurement, storage and retail to private capital is still ongoing…No word by the Centre for MSP legalisation. We are back to June 2020. Small farmers need Punjab government’s support to protect them from corporate takeover — Punjab Model is the only way.”

    Sidhu on Friday dubbed Modi’s announcement of repealing the three farm laws a “step in the right direction”, but had also stressed the MSP was a bigger issue than the farm laws.

    Farmers have been camping at the Delhi’s three borders since November 2020 with the demand that the government repeal the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    They have also been demanding a new law to guarantee the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

  • Chhattisgarh HC stays procurement of jaggery meant for Bastar tribals

    Express News Service
    RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh High Court has stayed the tender process on a petition alleging extensive irregularities in the supply of jaggery under the public distribution system (PDS) for the poor malnourished population in tribal Bastar.

    A division bench comprising of Chief Justice in-charge Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Parth Prateem Sahu has issued a notice to the Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation to respond after staying the tender process.

    “There are gross irregularities in the tender process which were floated on 10 April this year. The firm that declares supplying of sugar in its affidavit at higher price and didn’t even qualify on various other requisite parameters has been cited to be qualified. This is ridiculous as the firm that actually qualifies has been unlawfully rejected. Such wrongdoing will further incur additional loss of over Rs 17 crore to the state”, said Satish Gupta, the counsel for the petitioner Ambey industries.

    The scheduled date of the next hearing in the case has been fixed on 29 June.

    To counter the malnourishment among the tribal population in the Bastar zone, south Chhattisgarh, the state government has launched the ‘Madhur Gud Yojana’, in which two kg jaggery per family is distributed through the PDS to 6.98 lakh ration card holders every month. Besides jaggery, the Bastar population also gets rice, gram, salt and pulses.

  • Killat made Bardana valuable, for the first time in Surguja, beyond 30 rupees

    The problem of shortage of gunny bags for the purchase of paddy on the support price has increased. This is the first time Bardana has not only become valuable but its price has created a new record.

    Till the time the paddy was bought, gunny bags were sold at the rate of Rs 12 to 13 per piece. In today’s situation, chopped, old and stitched gunny bags are being sold at the rate of 31 to 32 rupees per piece. Farmers are exempted from selling paddy from their own gunny bags. A provision has been made to immediately pay Rs 7.32 on paddy sale from own gunny bags.

    In the event of non-return of the gunny bags, the remaining Rs. 7.68 will be paid. Apart from farmers, PDS shop operators are demanding Bardana. The pressure of gunny bags on PDS shop operators has led to a sudden increase in demand for gunny bags.

    Old gunnymen are selling merchandise from neighboring provinces. Till the beginning of paddy procurement in Surguja district, the asking of Bardana was not tested but now the demand has increased. In Ambikapur city, there are only three to four businessmen of Bardana who used to reach the count of buying gunny bags, but today they are getting orders to provide gunny bags.

    These traders are also buying gunny bags from traders in the neighboring provinces of Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and supplying them here. The price of Bardana has increased almost three times. As per the demand, its availability is still not being ensured. New gunny bags are not available. Work is going on only with old and mutilated gunny bags. The price of these gunny bags has skyrocketed.

  • Food security now 97 percent of people from universal PDS

    Universal PDS is being implemented in Chhattisgarh from 02 October 2019 on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. After this step of the state government, no person will be deprived of ration card or ration. All the families of the state have now become eligible for ration cards. Foodgrains eligibility for priority ration cards has been increased under universal PDS, they are getting ration with increased eligibility from August 2019. After the universal PDS is implemented, now the priority ration cards are 10 kg for one-member family, 20 kg for 2-member family, 35 kg for 3 to 5-member family and 7 kg per member per month for family with more than 5 members. Rice is being given at the rate of Re 1 per kg.

    Under the new PDS, food grains are also being provided to ordinary families (income tax payers and non-income tax payers). In the normal ration cards, 10 kg for 01-member family, 20 kg for 2-member family, 35 kg of food grains for 3 or more than 3-member family has been fixed at Rs. 10 per month. Presently, food grains are being provided to 9.39 lakh general ration card holder families.
    After the implementation of universal PDS in the state, food security is being provided to 97 percent of the population of the state. At present food grains are being distributed to 2 crore 48 lakh people registered in 67 lakh 10 thousand ration cards. During the last 2 years, about 11 lakh 15 thousand new ration cards have been issued in the state and the names of 5 lakh 52 thousand new members have been added to the ration cards.

  • State Foundation Day in Chhattisgarh will start from November 1

    Under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Bhupesh Baghel, the Government of Chhattisgarh is going to launch an innovative scheme for distribution of fortified rice from next November, State Establishment Day for the supply of essential nutritional elements in food and control of malnutrition. This scheme of distribution of fortified rice containing iron and vitamins will start as a pilot project in Kondagaon district of the state. The Chief Minister, Mr. Bhupesh Baghel, in his budget speech for the year 2020-21, announced the launch of the scheme. For this, a budget provision of Rs 5 crore 80 lakh has also been made by the state government.

        It is worth noting that fortified rice contains a mixture of fortified rice kernels (FRK) containing iron, vitamin B-12 and folic acid. Which will prove to be very helpful in the control of malnutrition with the supply of essential nutritious elements to the people. The distribution of this rice will be done under the Public Distribution System (PDS) and other welfare schemes in Kondagaon district. The rice will be distributed according to the criteria set by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSI).

          All rice will be fortified and distributed in Kondagaon district under PDS and other welfare schemes. Two rice mills have been tasked with rice blading for preparing fortified rice. In Kondagaon district, one lakh 11 thousand 217 ration cards under National Food Security Act and 23 thousand 204 ration cards under the state scheme, in this way, one lakh 34 thousand 421 ration cards are popular. The total annual allocation of Chandwal in this district is 60 thousand 188 tonnes, of which PDS is 55 thousand 068 tonnes of Chandwal and the annual allocation of welfare schemes, mid-day meal, supplementary nutritional food etc. is 5 thousand 120 tonnes.