Page 2 - Foodgrains

Jharkhand CM demands hike in coal royalty, foodgrains in NITI Aayog meeting

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren demanded a hike in royalty on coal at a meeting with a team from the NITI Aayog, officials said on Thursday. At the meeting, he also raised the issue of the release of compensation for land acquisition, which he said was pending with different coal companies. An eight-member team of NITI Aayog, led by its member Vinod Kumar Paul, is on a visit to the state to review its progress on various aspects. It held a meeting with the chief minister at the state secretariat on Wednesday. Soren said compensation of about Rs 80,000 crore is due with different coal companies against land acquisition, and only Rs 2,532 crore has been given. "Coal companies should pay compensation for the land they have acquired, even if mining work has not started on it," he said. It was agreed at the meeting that the coal companies will submit a report on how much land was acquired and how much compensation was paid, an official statement said. Soren also demanded that th

Modi taking revenge for K'taka defeat by depriving it of foodgrains: Cong

The Congress on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Centre's discontinuing the sale of foodgrains from its pool to state governments, calling it a revenge on Karnataka. The party said that the discontinuation was a "political decision" taken by Modi as a revenge on the people of Karnataka for rejecting the BJP in the assembly polls. On June 13, the Centre discontinued the sale of rice and wheat from the buffer stock to state governments under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) officially due to inflationary pressure and concerns over monsoon. The Congress has alleged that the move was aimed at scuttling the Karnataka government's Anna Bhagya scheme. The Anna Bhagya scheme, one of the five pre-poll guarantees of the Congress, promises 10 kg rice for every BPL (below poverty line) family in the state. In a tweet, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said it was clear after Wednesday's meeting of Piyush Goyal with state food and civil supp

Cong criticises Centre on discontinuing sale of foodgrains to state govts

Accusing the Modi government of being "anti-poor", the Congress on Wednesday said the Centre discontinued the sale of foodgrains from the central pool under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) to state governments to "scuttle" the Karnataka government's Anna Bhagya scheme. The Anna Bhagya scheme, one of the five pre-poll guarantees of the Congress, promises 10 kg rice for every BPL (below poverty line) family in the state. In a tweet, Congress general secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh accused the Modi government of indulging in "vendetta politics". "Most recent chronology of Modi's anti-poor and vendetta politics: May 13th, 2023: PM and BJP rejected comprehensively by people of Karnataka. June 2nd, 2023: CM Karnataka announces implementation of Anna Bhagya guarantee from July 1st that will give 10kg free foodgrains to poor families. June 13th, 2023: Union Government issues circular banning sale of rice from FCI to states under Open Market Sale Scheme. This is done to scuttle .

Foodgrain prices increase up to 15% in 2 weeks due to delays in monsoon

Despite government price controls, experts predict that the lack of proper rainfall will result in prices staying high in the foreseeable future

Cabinet approves world's largest food storage scheme, allocates Rs 1 trn

Under this plan, every block will have a godown with a capacity of 2,000 tonnes, Union minister Anurag Thakur said

Empowering women in food and agriculture untapped source of growth: FAO

It also reveals that despite improvements over the last decade or more, women remain "significantly disadvantaged in landownership compared with men"

Searing summer on the cards, all eyes on reservoirs, grain storage

Reservoir levels lower than last year but higher than 10-yr average; ample elbow room in grain storage for now

Joshimath subsidence: Foodgrain godown emptied after developing cracks

A foodgrain godown has developed major cracks in the subsidence-hit Joshimath, prompting authorities to empty the stock and distribute them among consumers in advance, officials said on Friday. They said a proposal to use another godown in Gulabkoti as an alternative is under consideration. Located in the worst-affected Singhdhar ward of Joshimath, the godown developed cracks on January 2-3 itself like the rest of the buildings in the area but the chinks were narrow, District Supply Officer Jaswant Singh Kandari said. "As some rooms of the godown suffered a slight subsidence of late, it has become difficult to use them," he said. It was then decided to empty the godown, Kandari said. "We have distributed the foodgrains among consumers in advance through PDS grain dealers in the area and the godown is now almost empty," he said. The godown has a capacity to stock 800 metric tonnes of foodgrains at a time and caters to people not only in Joshimath but in several other places in Nit

Govt approves extension of mandatory jute packaging norms: Report

The government on Wednesday approved the extension of mandatory packaging norms which provide for all foodgrains and 20 per cent sugar to be compulsorily packed in jute bags, sources said. The reservation norms for mandatory use of jute in packaging for Jute Year 2022-23 (July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023) were cleared at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The mandatory packaging norms approved for Jute Year 2022-23 provide for 100 per cent reservation of foodgrains and 20 per cent reservation of sugar to be compulsorily packed in jute bags, the sources said. The approval to these norms will provide relief to 3.7 lakh workers employed in jute mills and ancillary units as well as support the livelihood of several lakh farm families, they added. It will also help protect environment because jute is a natural, bio- degradable, renewable and reusable fibre and hence fulfils all sustainability parameters. The jute industry is significant to India's econ

Revision in crop production estimates raises questions on credibility

Crop estimates have been way off the mark between the first and subsequent estimates and over the years this divergence has grown

Foodgrain output seen at record 323.55 mn tonnes in 2022-23 crop year

India's foodgrain production is estimated at an all-time high of 323.55 million tonnes in the current crop year ending June, driven by the projection of a record output of rice, wheat and pulses. Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar attributed the record foodgrain output to hard work by farmers and agri scientists, besides the government policies. In its second advance estimates of production of foodgrains released on Tuesday, the Union agriculture ministry said that wheat production is estimated at record 112.18 million tonnes in the 2022-23 crop year (July-June), up 4.44 million tonnes from the previous year. The previous high in production of wheat, a major rabi crop, was achieved in the 2020-21 crop year at 109.59 million tonnes. The output had fallen to 107.74 million tonnes in the previous year due to heat waves in some producing states. Rice production is estimated at 130.83 million tonnes in 2022-23 crop year, up 1.36 million tonnes from the previous year, an official

Digitising PDS helped save Rs 1,200 cr annually: UP CM Yogi Adityanath

Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh has streamlined its public distribution system by digitalising it to provide subsidised foodgrains to 15 crore people, which has helped the state save Rs 1,200 crore annually, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday. In his inaugural address at the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG), Adityanath said, "Today the result is that we are providing foodgrains to 15 crore people through the public distribution system and by using technology, we are also saving Rs 1,200 crore annually." As part of India's presidency of the G20, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is hosting the first Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) meeting in Lucknow from February 13-15. The DEWG, originally called DETF, was formed in 2017 as part of the German G20 presidency with the aim of promoting the implementation of a secure, interconnected, and inclusive digital economy. With the global digital economy estimated to b

Food security scheme to cover 800 mn poor named as PMGKAY: Centre

The central government's integrated food security scheme has been named as the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY), under which free foodgrains are being given to more than 80 crore poor people from January 1. The move also comes amid Opposition's criticism over the government discontinuing free monthly distribution of 5 kilograms of foodgrains to poor people under a scheme that was also known as PMGKAY. This scheme, which was launched in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic in April 2020, ended in December last year. Last month, the government decided to subsume PMGKAY into two existing food subsidy schemes and consequently, the new integrated food security scheme came into force. "The new scheme has been named as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY)," the food ministry said in a statement. Keeping in view welfare of the beneficiaries and in order to maintain uniformity across the states, free foodgrains will be provided under the PMGKAY for the year 2023 t

Govt mulls lifting rice export curbs as supply improves, prices stabilise

India imposed a 20% duty on shipments of white and brown rice in September and banned broken rice sales abroad

Can free PDS boost tepid pick of inter-state ONORC? Experts don't think so

One Nation One Ration Card ensures that National Food Security Act beneficiaries can lift their entitled foodgrain from any Fair Price Shop, anywhere in India using existing ration card

Best of BS Opinion: Sobering reality, year of conflict and loss, and more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

The free grain scheme risks undermining more than the rural economy

The problem with govt's decision lies not with fiscal maths but with how it addresses realities of economics of farming and the income levels of much of India's working population, writes T N Ninan

PM Modi to take call on extending PMGKAY beyond Dec: MoS Shobha Karandlaje

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take a call on extending the PMGKAY scheme to provide free ration to the poor beyond December, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje said on Thursday said stressing that the government has sufficient foodgrains stock. If Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) has to be extended, the decision will be taken by the Cabinet, headed by the prime minister. The Cabinet meeting is scheduled on Friday. In September, the government had extended PMGKAY for three months till December 31. "Covid-19 cases are coming. The scheme is till December. ...After that, the decision (on extending it) will be taken by the prime minister," Karandlaje, Minister of State for Agriculture, told reporters. In last 28 months, the government has spent Rs 1.80 lakh crore on distribution of free ration to the poor under PMGKAY, she said. The government has sufficient foodgrains stock to meet the requirement under the food security law and other welfare schemes, she added. The

Centre set to offer wheat to millers, biscuit makers to tame prices: Report

Wheat prices have surged in India this year after a sudden rise in temperatures hit crop yields and output

Sufficient foodgrain stocks to meet requirements of welfare schemes: Centre

The Centre on Saturday said it has sufficient foodgrain stocks to meet the requirements under the food security law and other welfare schemes. The government is also regularly monitoring the prices of essential commodities. "Government of India has sufficient foodgrain stocks under central pool to meet the requirement of NFSA and its other welfare schemes as well as for additional allocation of PMGKAY," an official statement said. About 159 lakh tonnes of wheat and 104 lakh tonnes of rice will be available as on January 1, 2023, as against the respective buffer norms requirement of 138 lakh tonnes of wheat and 76 lakh tonnes of rice as on January 1. As on December 15th, around 180 lakh tonnes of wheat and 111 lakh tonnes of rice are available in the central pool. Buffer norms requirements have been envisaged for particular dates of the year as on 1st of April, 1st of July, 1st of October and 1st of January, the ministry noted. The stock position of wheat and rice under central po