Chhattisgarh is considering enactment of legislation on Right to Food to bring all food related schemes,including the public distribution system (PDS),under its purview. Chief Minister Raman Singh,who is keen to get the Right to Food Act passed during the winter session of the Assembly,says that Chhattisgarh would be the first state in the country to enact such legislation aimed at checking irregularities and streamlining implementation of food related schemes. The proposed act would contain provisions to fix responsibility at every stage of implementation of the PDS system and other food related schemes such as mid-day meal programme. Penalty will be imposed on those responsible for any negligence to ensure that the fruits of the schemes percolate down to the real beneficiaries. The state government is implementing a massive food security scheme through which 37 lakh families living below the poverty line are being provided rice at highly subsidised prices. BPL families are being supplied 35 kg of rice at Rs 2 per kg every month while seven lakh antodaya families poorest among the poor are getting rice at Re 1 per kg. Charandas Chor withdrawn from libraries Renowned playwright Habib Tanveers work,Charandas Chor,has been withdrawn from school libraries after the Scheduled Caste Satnami community said it contained certain objectionable remarks about a guru of the Satnami movement. The issue came to light during the book reading week observed from August 1 to 9 in all schools and colleges in the state. School Education Secretary Nandkumar issued an order not to include this famous drama during the book reading week and to withdraw it from the libraries. The Satnami community had first objected to certain remarks in the book way back in 2004. After the state passed the Library Act last year,the school education department purchased thousands of books for school libraries. Chrandas Chor was among the books purchased. Theatre artistes here are agitated over the government decision,arguing that the more than three decade-old play had been staged scores of times within and outside the state,without creating any controversy. They point out that the government order is ambiguous as it is not clear whether theres a ban on its sale and staging of the drama. Risk allowance for CMs security staff Who faces more risk? Security personnel fighting the Maoists in remote areas or the officers engaged in Chief Ministers security? Thats the whisper doing rounds in the corridors of power after the state home department issued a circular last month granting permission to provide risk allowance,equivalent to 50 per cent of the basic pay,to officers and employees engaged in the CMs security. Besides,the state finance department has also approved a 50 per cent increase in daily allowance of the officers and employees engaged in the CMs security. Police personnel deployed in Naxalite areas in the state are entitled to a hard area allowance of 20 per cent of their basic pay. Earlier,security personnel posted at few of the police stations were getting only 15 per cent of their basic pay as hard area allowance,but the state government made it a uniform 20 per cent in all Naxal-affected areas after the Maoist attack in Madanwada in which 30 security personnel were killed. Farmer saves school in Naxal-hit hamlet An illiterate farmer,Premlal (33),of village Durretola in Naxalite affected Rajnandgaon district,donated one acre of his land for a primary school when its headmaster told him that the schools existence in the area was difficult because of non-availability of revenue land. Majority of the land in the region is forestland while land around the village is owned by local residents. Premlal donated the land,bearing all expenses for its registration and transfer. Now,a school building is being constructed on it. Durretola has a population of more than 200 people. Tribals in this region are keen to provide education to their children.
