Replying to supplementaries in Rajya Sabha during the question hour, Barnala said the Centre has also made allocation for contingencies faced by the state governments including drought conditions.

"There is no problem of supply of foodgrains demanded by the state governments for the PDS," he said.

The Minister also said under the new policy, the north-eastern states were provided greater quantity of foodgrains for storage purposes to guard against transport or other problems like floods.

In reply to another question Barnala said the PDS was mainly aimed at supporting the poor by providing a fixed quantity of foodgrains and some other essential commodities.

On a supplementary question regarding the problem of bogus ration cards, he said it was mainly a state subject and both theCentre and state governments were tackling it.

On a question regarding the targeted public distribution system (TPDS), Barnala in his written reply said the TPDS has been implemented in all states and Union territories except in the state of national capital territory of Delhi and the Union territory of Lakshadweep.

COMMISSION ON CHILD: The Minister of Human Resource Development, Murli Manohar Joshi on Friday assured the Rajya Sabha that the National commission for children will be constituted soon.

Replying to a supplementary, Joshi told Kamla Sinha (JD) that procedures have to be followed before setting up of the commission. Expressing concern over the delay in setting up of the commission, Sinha said Joshi had made this assurance in the presence of the Prime Minister on November 14, 1998 and said it should not be delayed further.

RENEWING RAIL TRACKS: Railway Minister Nitish Kumar said in Rajya Sabha on Friday that the Railways is planning to renew tracks spread over 11,000 kms acrossthe country during the Ninth plan.

Responding to supplementaries during the question hour, he said Railways would provide adequate funds for their renewal. Kumar also displayed in the House a magnifying glass used for detection of fractures in tracks by railway gangmen. He said modern equipment like self-propelled ultrasonic rail testing (SPURT) car is available with the Indian railways which covers all the zonal railways.

Railways is planning to purchase two more SPURT cars for which tenders have already been floated, he said.

IMPROVED PAY OF AIIMS DOC: The government today informed Parliament that it would consider the possibility of improving pay scales for doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Post-Graduate Institute for Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.

In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dalit Ezhilmalai said representatives of ministries of Finance, Personnel and Health would consider the possibility,while avoiding competing claims from other similar institutions.

He said the ministerial group set up to resolve the AIIMS issue had earlier considered doctors demands on restructuring of pay scales as not "practicable" in view of the "competing claims" from other institutes.

CONCERN OVER BANK STIR: Members cutting across party lines on Friday expressed grave concern in Rajya Sabha over the nation-wide bank strike and demanded early steps to end the agitation.

Responding to the members' concern, Labour Minister Satyanarayan Jatiya assured the House that he would convey their sentiments to Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha.

He appealed to the bank employees to end the strike to help create a congenial atmosphere for negotiated settlement of their demands including pay hike. Over 12.5 lakh bank employees all over the country are on a two-day strike since Thursday following a call given by the united forum of bank unions.