Free food grains of Rs 22,800 crore distributed under Anna Yojana in MP to 5.25 cr people: minister
Bhopal (PTI): Free food grains of approximately Rs 22,800 crore were distributed to more than 5.25 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana in Madhya Pradesh in the last two years, a minister said on Wednesday.
Under the 'One Nation-One Ration' card scheme, an average of 39,000 families from other states are receiving free rations in Madhya Pradesh every month, said Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister Govind Singh Rajput.
He said 16 lakh families are taking advantage of inter-district portability every month. In 89 tribal and inaccessible villages, ration is being delivered door-to-door through the 'Aapka Ration, Aapke Dwar' scheme.
"Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, free food grains worth approximately Rs 22,800 crore were distributed to more than 5.25 crore beneficiaries in the state," the minister said, highlighting the achievements of the Mohan Yadav government in the last two years.
He said the Chief Minister's Food Service Awareness Programme was implemented to make the ration distribution process transparent.
"Under this programme, beneficiaries are being informed about the arrival and distribution of rations through SMS. Additionally, a list of eligible beneficiaries is being read out in Gram Sabhas on January 26th and October 2nd," the minister said.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department prioritises transparency and technology-based monitoring in the implementation of schemes, he added.
The department has also made significant progress in the e-KYC process, verifying over 17 million beneficiaries in MP in two years.
"The e-KYC verification for 4.97 crore beneficiaries has been completed so far, which is 93 per cent," he added.
The minister stated that payments totalling Rs 51,000 crore have been made for the purchase of crops from 28 lakh farmers in the past two years.
Payments of Rs 2,600 per quintal were made for wheat procurement, with a bonus of Rs 175 per quintal.
Rajput stated that the Department of Weights and Measures has implemented the e-KYC verification process. In the last two years, revenue of Rs 49.14 crore has been earned through verification and inspection.
He informed that on finding irregularities during inspections, 11,700 cases were registered and a penalty amount of approximately Rs 4.50 crore was recovered.
Rajput said his department has prepared an action plan to develop ration shops as 'Chief Minister Nutrition Mart', integration of the software system, distribution of ration through advanced technology and making elaborate arrangements for the supply of ration and gas in the fair area for Simhastha 2028.
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Supreme Court strikes down Trump's sweeping tariffs, upending central plank of economic agenda
Washington (AP): The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's far-reaching global tariffs on Friday, handing him a significant loss on an issue crucial to his economic agenda.
The 6-3 decision centres on tariffs imposed under an emergency powers law, including the sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs he levied on nearly every other country.
It's the first major piece of Trump's broad agenda to come squarely before the nation's highest court, which he helped shape with the appointments of three conservative jurists in his first term.
The majority found that the Constitution “very clearly” gives Congress the power to impose taxes, which include tariffs. “The Framers did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote.
Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.
“The tariffs at issue here may or may not be wise policy. But as a matter of text, history, and precedent, they are clearly lawful,” Kavanaugh wrote in the dissent.
The majority did not address whether companies could get refunded for the billions they have collectively paid in tariffs. Many companies, including the big-box warehouse chain Costco, have already lined up for refunds in court, and Kavanaugh noted the process could be complicated.
“The Court says nothing today about whether, and if so how, the Government should go about returning the billions of dollars that it has collected from importers. But that process is likely to be a mess,' as was acknowledged at oral argument,” he wrote.
The tariffs decision doesn't stop Trump from imposing duties under other laws. While those have more limitations on the speed and severity of Trump's actions, top administration officials have said they expect to keep the tariff framework in place under other authorities.
The Supreme Court ruling comes despite a series of short-term wins on the court's emergency docket that have allowed Trump to push ahead with extraordinary flexes of executive power on issues ranging from high-profile firings to major federal funding cuts.
The Republican president has been vocal about the case, calling it one of the most important in US history and saying a ruling against him would be an economic body blow to the country. But legal opposition crossed the political spectrum, including libertarian and pro-business groups that are typically aligned with the GOP. Polling has found tariffs aren't broadly popular with the public, amid wider voter concern about affordability.
The Constitution gives Congress the power to levy tariffs. But the Trump administration argued that a 1977 law allowing the president to regulate importation during emergencies also allows him to set tariffs. Other presidents have used the law dozens of times, often to impose sanctions, but Trump was the first president to invoke it for import taxes.
Trump set what he called "reciprocal" tariffs on most countries in April 2025 to address trade deficits that he declared a national emergency. Those came after he imposed duties on Canada, China and Mexico, ostensibly to address a drug trafficking emergency.
A series of lawsuits followed, including a case from a dozen largely Democratic-leaning states and others from small businesses selling everything from plumbing supplies to educational toys to women's cycling apparel.
The challengers argued the emergency powers law doesn't even mention tariffs and Trump's use of it fails several legal tests, including one that doomed then-President Joe Biden's USD 500 billion student loan forgiveness program.
The economic impact of Trump's tariffs has been estimated at some USD 3 trillion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The Treasury has collected more than USD 133 billion from the import taxes the president has imposed under the emergency powers law, federal data from December shows.
