Andhra Pradesh - Guntur   

Call to strengthen PDS

Staff Reporter

GUNTUR: A series of poverty alleviation programmes launched by the Government from 1993-94 to 2004-05 had no impact, as 230 million people still live below the poverty line, according to director of the Vellore Institute of Development Studies (VIDS) P. Jegadish Gandhi.

At a two-day seminar on `Food Security, Nutrition and Poverty in India' conducted by Department of Economics of Hindu College here on Friday, he said that despite a hefty increase in the annual food subsidy there was no impact.

"A universal PDS which alone can save the economically underprivileged sections of the society from chronic under-nutrition will need about 38 million tonnes of food grains every year," he said.

The challenge before the Government was to prevent the diversion of the PDS rice. Former MP Yalamanchali Shivaji also spoke. The keynote address was dedicated to former college faculty College Sulochana Rani. College principal Kameswara Rao, Economics Department Head A. Rajasekhar and seminar director P. Murali Krishna were present.

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Call to strengthen PDS

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