Increase In Storage Capacity – Public Distribution System

Sept. 6, 2011 - PRLog -- Another good news as placed by PDS Gaya to the people of the district is that, in view of  reports of harms to Central Pool stocks of food-grains in some FCI warehouses and State agencies last year, the government has taken a number of steps. Few of the steps taken this year include allocation of 488.71 lakh tons of food-grains (which includes additional 50 lakh tons APL allocation) under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and ad hoc additional allocation of 50 lakh tons of rice and wheat for states and Union Territories in May 2011. The later is for distribution of food-grains to BPL families upto March, 2012.

Further, in prosecution to the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s direction, in its order dated 14th of May 2011 to allocate additional quantity of foodgrains to the 150 poorest districts in the country for distribution to extremely poor and vulnerable sections of the society, the government has allocated 3,87,670.65 tons of food-grains at BPL/AAY issue prices for three months for poor families identified in 74 districts of 13 States as per recommendations of Central Vigilance Committee on PDS set-up by the Hon’ble Supreme Court.

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Prof. K.V. Thomas in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

The minister said that in order to create additional covered storage space, Government has formulated a scheme for construction of go-downs through private entrepreneurs under Private Public Partnership mode with a view to reduce dependence on CAP (Open Storage) by construction of covered godowns both in procurement as well as consumption areas. A capacity of about 152.97 lakh tons has been planned for 19 States under the Scheme through private entrepreneurs and Central and State Warehousing Corporations. CWC and SWCs are constructing 5.31 and 15.49 lakh tons respectively under the Scheme, out of which a capacity of about 3.5 lakh tons has already been completed.

In the 11th Five Year Plan an allocation of Rs. 154.82 crores has also been made to FCI for construction of storage godowns, which will also result in addition of another about 1.2 lakh tons of storage capacity. This Department has also prepared a proposal for construction of additional storage capacity of 5.4 lakh tons in the North Eastern States by Food Corporation of India (FCI) with a total allocation of Rs. 568.17 crores.

For more, visit http://www.pdsonline.in

(With inputs from Press Information Bureau, GOI)