The apex court in an order directed the Union government to conduct a fresh survey of the BPL/ABPL/AAY beneficiaries on the basis of the figures available for 2010 and said the authorities cannot rely on a decade-old data to extend the benefits. The bench further said that the government must take urgent steps to prevent further rotting of food grains while maintaining that it must procure only that much quantity which it can preserve. The bench reiterated its earlier order that persons above poverty line shall not be entitled to subsidised foodgrains but if the government was determined to extend the benefit, the same shall be given to those families whose annual income is below Rs three lakhs. Aug 31/2010 (PTI)

“Facts, unearthed by a Parliamentary Committee: Between 1997 and 2007, 1.83 lakh tonnes of wheat, 6.33 lakh tonnes of rice, 2.20 lakh tonnes of paddy and 111 lakh tonnes of maize rotted due to either lack of storage facilities or poor maintenance of stocks in the existing facilities.

As on January 1 this year, 10.688 lakh tonnes of foodgrains were found damaged in the depots of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), enough to feed over six lakh people for over 10 years.

The storage losses of foodgrains in 2009-10 amounted to Rs 228 crore and transit losses another Rs 182 crore. Rotting foodgrains, starving poor  B.S. Raghavan B L 030910

Govt honours SC decision: Heeding to Supreme Court's order, an Empowered Group of Ministers decided to release an additional quantity of 2.5 million tonnes of wheat and rice to the states at a BPL price for next six monthsan additional 2.5 million tonnes of food grains. Currently, there are 6.52 crore families registered under the BPL category who are each eligible for 35 kg of food grains a month. Rice is distributed to BPL families at Rs 5.65 a kg, while wheat is allotted at Rs 4.15 a kg. After the proposed overhaul, the number of BPL families is expected to increase to 8.1 crore families. The Hindu 020810

The 8.8 per cent year-on-year increase in the real gross domestic product (GDP) for April-June – compared with 6 per cent in the same quarter of 2009-10 – has been largely due to robust industrial (especially manufacturing) growth from a low base.

The industry, as a whole, grew 11.4 per cent against 4.6 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, when factories were struggling to emerge from the slowdown triggered by the global financial crisis of late 2008.

Within industry, manufacturing registered a 12.4 per cent year-on-year jump, against 3.8 per cent during April-June of last fiscal. But, it is not only industry that has done better relative to last year. Even the farm sector and services have notched up higher growth rates for the first quarter.

*Every farmer — whose land will be acquired — would get an annuity (a contract by which one gets fixed payments on an investment for a lifetime or for a specified number of years) at the rate of Rs 20,000 per acre per year, which will be in addition to the compensation paid.This annuity will be hiked at a fixed rate of Rs 600 per acre and the payment will be made in the month of July.

*In case, if any farmer is not willing to opt for the annuity, then he will be paid a fixed amount at the rate of Rs 2.40 lakh per acre as rehabilitation grant.

*If the land is acquired for a company, the farmers will have an option of taking share up to 25 per cent of the total cost of land. If the land is acquired for developmental projects, seven per cent reservation would be allotted to the affected farmers for residential purposes.