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FCI ensures �uninterrupted� supply of food grains across NE

By PRANJAL BHUYAN

GUWAHATI, July 19 - As part of the effort to ensure supply of essentials to citizens during the pandemic period, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has inducted 12.47 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of food grains across its various locations in the North-Eastern region during the April-June quarter of this year.

�Different districts in Assam have been under various degrees of lockdown regimes due to burgeoning COVID-19 cases. As on July 15, a record 3.80 lakh MT of food grains were stocked in FCI depots across Assam with capacity utilisation of around 95 per cent. Our godowns in Assam have been adequately filled up. This has greatly bolstered our capability to meet any emergent public distribution system (PDS) requirement in the State,� said a senior official of the public sector corporation�s North-East zonal office.

He said DV Prasad, chairman and managing director of FCI, is personally monitoring the entire exercise from New Delhi. Also, the induction and stock building are being monitored by the executive director (North-East) and other senior officers of the FCI North-East zone at the local level.

�Around 5.75 lakh MT of food grains were available in the various depots of FCI in the North-East zone as on July 15, with capacity utilisation of around 93 per cent. As such, there are sufficient food grains to meet the month-wise requirements of the North-Eastern states under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), along with the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and other welfare schemes like Mid Day Meal. Further, a system of dynamic planning of rakes is in place so that stocks can be inducted as per requirement,� the official said.

He added that the FCI is undertaking operations in close coordination with the Indian Railways, besides agencies like Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), various state warehousing corporations in this region and other stakeholders.

Sources said 100 per cent lifting of food grains was registered by the North-Eastern states under the PMGKAY during the April-June period. A total of 5.23 lakh MT was lifted in total by the states in this region under the scheme.

For the July-November period, over 8.79 lakh MT of foodgrains have been allotted for the North-Eastern states under PMGKAY. The scheme, under which additional free-of-cost food grains at the scale of 5 kg per person per month are provided to beneficiaries covered under NFSA, has recently been extended by another five months.

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