Under the PMGKAY, which provides 5 kg food grains free of cost to every beneficiary covered under NFSA for 3 months, a quantity of 2.56 million tonnes stocks have already been issued. New Delhi: The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has moved a record 3.74 million tonnes (MT) food grains stocks using 1,335 train loads from the surplus states during the lockdown period at an average of 1.7 lakh tonnes per day. This is more than double its normal average movement of about 0.8 lakh tonnes per day.
“During the same period, a quantity of 3.34 million tonnes stocks was unloaded in the consuming states to cater to the needs of beneficiaries under the Targeted Public Distribution System (PDS),” said an FCI official.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY), which provides 5 kg food grains free of cost to every beneficiary covered under NFSA for 3 months, a quantity of 2.56 million tonnes stocks have already been issued.
“Under regular allocation of food grains for National Food Security Act (NFSA) schemes and other welfare schemes, 3.98 million tonnes food grains have been issued during the lock down period across the country.
“Put together, the total food grain stocks issued to cater to the needs of people covered under NFSA and Other welfare schemes of government of India during 22 days of lockdown is 6.54 million tonnes at an average of 3.27 lakh tonnes per day,” the official said.
The state governments have been supplied enough stocks to provide adequate food grains to all beneficiaries covered under NFSA.
Apart from that, the centre has given state governments an option to lift food grains at reduced rate of Rs 21 a kg for wheat and Rs 22 a kg for rice for providing food security to even those who are not covered under NFSA.
The states can also buy rice at Rs 22.50 a kg directly from FCI without participating in the auction process to meet any additional requirements.
“With an eye to keep the open market prices under check and to ensure adequate availability of wheat atta, state governments have been authorised to requisition wheat for flour mills directly from FCI at open market sale rates. This system is being operated through the District Magistrates in a decentralised manner,” the official said.
He said that these initiatives are over and above the regular open market sales scheme through which weekly auctions are conducted for sale of wheat and rice.
“Already 3.74 lakh tonnes of Wheat and 3.35 lakh tonnes of Rice has been offloaded in the market through all the above schemes since 24th March 2020,” he said.
Apart that that the government is also providing NGOs and other welfare organisations wheat at Rs 21 a kg and and rice at Rs 22 a kg to help them feed poor people during the lock down.
“These organisations can take good grains from any depot of FCI anywhere in the country without any upper limit on quantity,” the official said.
Source: indiatimes.com
