IMPHAL, Sept 20 - Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan arrived here this afternoon on a two-day visit to Manipur.
Soon after his arrival at the Imphal International Airport, the Union minister drove straight to a hotel here and chaired a review meeting on Food Corporation of India (FCI) operations, computerisation of the Public Distribution System (PDS), procurement of food items and other matters relating to the North Eastern States.
Ravikant, Secretary to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, FCI Chairman and Managing Director DV Prasad, Food Secretaries of the North Eastern States and other officials attended the review meeting.
During the meeting, the Union minister requested all the North Eastern States for active cooperation in creating new storage capacities by identifying suitable land for construction of godowns so that production and PDS operations can go on smoothly.
Paswan also reviewed the storage capacity position, utilisation and allocation under the National Food Security Act. He said that the FCI online system should be implemented in all the North Eastern States, official sources stated here.
Later, addressing a press conference, Paswan, accompanied by officials, stated that the ministry plans to upgrade the existing FCI office at Imphal into a full-fledged regional office, apart from opening another FCI depot at Churachandpur within three months. The press conference was also attended by Manipur Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister K Shyam.
The Union minister is scheduled to inaugurate an FCI store at Bishnupur in Bishnupur district tomorrow.
