INSIGHTS CURRENT EVENTS: 03

OCTOBER 2014
Food Security Act: Odisha to digitise ration cards
Moving ahead in the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), the Odisha
government plans to take up digitisation for new ration cards.
About National Food Security Act, 2013:
It is also called as Right to Food act.
This is an act of the Parliament of India which aims to provide subsidized food grains to
approximately two thirds of Indias 1.2 billion people.
It extends to the whole of India.
Under the provisions of this act, beneficiaries are able to purchase 5 kilograms per eligible person
per month of cereals at the following prices:
rice at 3 Rupees per kg
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wheat at 2 Rupees per kg
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coarse grains (millet) at 1 rupee per kg.
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Pregnant women, lactating mothers, and certain categories of children are eligible for daily free
meals.
Salient features:
75% rural and 50% of the urban population are entitled for three years from enactment to five kg
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food grains per month at 3 Rupees , 2 Rupees, 1 Rupee per kg for rice, wheat and coarse grains
(millet), respectively.
The states are responsible for determining eligibility.
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Pregnant women and lactating mothers are entitled to a nutritious take home ration of 600
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Calories and a maternity benefit of at least Rs 6,000 for six months.
Children 6 months to 14 years of age are to receive free hot meals or take home rations.
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The central government will provide funds to states in case of short supplies of food grains.
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The state government will provide a food security allowance to the beneficiaries in case of non-
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supply of food grains.
The Public Distribution System is to be reformed.
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The eldest woman in the household, 18 years or above, is the head of the household for the
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issuance of the ration card.
There will be state- and district-level redress mechanisms; and
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State Food Commissions will be formed for implementation and monitoring of the provisions of the
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Act.
The cost of the implementation is estimated to be $22 billion(1.25 lac crore), approximately 1.5%
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of GDP.
The poorest who are covered under the Antodaya yojana will remain entitled to the 35 kg of grains
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allotted to them under the mentioned scheme.

Sources: http://www.business-standard.com/ , Wiki.
United Nations Convention against Corruption
The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which entered into force in December
2005, is the ever-first binding global anti-corruption instrument. It obliges the States to prevent and
criminalize different corrupt practices, promote international cooperation, cooperate for the
recovery of stolen assets and enhance technical assistance and information exchange.
The Convention addresses both the public and private spheres and provides a set of comprehensive
agreed-upon obligations and provisions to criminalize corruption and enhance transparency and
accountability. In order to monitor the progress in the implementation of the Convention, Member
States have agreed to conduct peer-review mechanisms among themselves, for which UNODC acts
as a Secretariat.
It is the first global legally binding international anti-corruption instrument. And is a multilateral
convention negotiated by members of the United Nations.
UNCAC requires that States Parties implement several anti-corruption measures which may affect
their laws, institutions and practices. These measures aim at preventing corruption, criminalizing
certain conducts, strengthening international law enforcement and judicial cooperation, providing
effective legal mechanisms for asset recovery, technical assistance and information exchange, and
mechanisms for implementation of the Convention, including the Conference of the States Parties to
the United Nations Convention against Corruption (CoSP).
UNCAC was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 31 October 2003 by Resolution.
Currently, there are 172 parties, including the European Union.
UNCAC covers five main areas: preventive measures, criminalization and law enforcement,
international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance and information exchange. It
includes both mandatory and non-mandatory provisions.
In May 2011, the Indian Government ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption
(UNCAC) convention.
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p s t y l e = t e x t - a l i gn: r i ght >So ur c e s : Wi ki , ht t p: / / www. uno dc . o r g/ ,
http://www. busi ness- standard. com/.