Indian Cuisine Fifth Best In The World
We Indians love our food. We are proud of our vast variety of traditional food items, snacks and sweets. Perhaps, no other nation offers such a huge variety of cuisine. But a foreign global ranking has put Indian food on the fifth position for 2022, according to Taste Atlas. India received 4.54 points in the rankings, with many advanced nations far behind in the race. Italy’s food is at first position followed by Greece, Spain and Japan. Chinese cuisine, which is the world’s most popular, has been ranked 11th on the list. Surely, most of the Indians who eat food as per their tastes and religious beliefs may not agree–as they would like their food to be treated as Number 1 in the world. The global ranking is said to be based on audience votes for dishes, ingredients, and beverages. India’s best rated foods include ‘garam masala’, ‘malai’, ‘ghee’, ‘butter garlic naan’ and ‘keema’, says the rating card. It has a total of 460 items in the list. And the best restaurants to try Indian cuisine are Shree Thaker Bhojanalay (Mumbai), Karavalli (Bengaluru), Bukhara (New Delhi), Dum Pukht (New Delhi), Comorin (Gurugram) and 450 others, according to the list.
Babus’ bid to Name ‘Free Food Grain’ Scheme
The Modi government and the BJP are quite good in coining catchy names for new schemes. But, surprisingly, even after days of the Centre announcing ‘free food grain’ for the poor under the food security law for a year, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution is struggling for a “fantastic name” for this new scheme. After all, it has been extended up to the end of December 2023, and chances are of further extension to coincide with the 2024 general elections. Ministry sources say that officials are under instructions to select a name which is short, easy to remember, and have a meaning in Indian languages. They are hopeful of finding an appropriate name for the scheme in a couple of days.As per this scheme, the Union government has decided to make ration available for free, and not just on subsidised rates, to those covered under the National Food Security Act, at least, till December 2023. The move to now make ration free under the Act will cost the government Rs 2 lakh crore for a year.
PM’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ as Political Outreach
The BJP is gearing up to expand the reach of PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann ki Baat’ broadcast.The party has instructed its workers to mandatorily listen to the programme at their respective booths and try to engage the neighbourhood. BJP chief J.P. Nadda attended the PM’s 96th ‘Mann ki Baat’ along with party workers in Ghaziabad’s Mohan Nagar booth some days ago. Nadda said that the “the PM has never used the ‘Mann ki Baat’ platform for politics. He has presented significant social issues before the people of the country with depth and intensity.”For this reason, Nadda said, the BJP has decided that all its workers will gather at their respective booths on the day of the ‘Mann ki Baat’broadcast along with the common people. A decision to make ‘Mann ki Baat’ a flagship ‘event’ was taken at the recent meeting of BJP office-bearers in the national capital, where its appeal was termed as worth expanding as part of the saffron party’s political outreach.