BackPaswan orders opening of purchase centres for maize
FCI would soon open outlets for purchasing maize for distribution among beneficiaries under the Food Security Act, says Paswan
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Patna: Union food and public distribution minister Ramvilas Paswan on Friday said the FCI would soon open centres for buying maize as part of the distribution of coarse cereal along with rice and wheat under the Food Security Act.
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) would soon open outlets for purchasing maize for distribution among beneficiaries under the Food Security Act, Paswan told reporters after meeting Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi in Patna.
The minister said he has given instructions to open centre for buying maize like the one used for purchasing rice and wheat to U.K Chauhan, joint secretary in the Union food ministry, so that farmers get benefit of it in the current crop season.
He said due to absence of government procurement of maize, farmers in a state like Bihar which produces maize in abundance, did not get adequate return for their produce. Bihar is the third largest maize producing state contributing around ten percent to national production.
Paswan discussed more efficient implementation of the Food law in Bihar with the chief minister and about inclusion of names of beneficiaries who have been left out in the list, while stressing on timely lifting of grains and their proper distribution on time. State food and public distribution minister Shyam Rajak was present during the meeting.
Drawing attention of Manjhi that a majority section of beneficiaries have not been included in the list for availing subsidised foodgrains, Paswan urged the chief minister to carry the exercise by organising special camps at the block level from 1 to 31 July.
The Union minister told Manjhi that on the pattern of Madhya Pradesh, in Bihar too names of all SC and ST people excepting those paying income tax, should be included in the list of beneficiaries under the Food Security Act.
Bihar implemented the Food Security Legislation from 1 February this year. Making a strong case for SCs and STs, Paswan during his meeting with the chief minister, said 16% of the public distribution system (PDS) outlets should be allocated to people belonging to the two categories in proportion to their percentage in the total population.
The union minister discussed the issue of increasing storage capacity in Bihar and said the total storage capacity in Bihar at present was only 5 lakh tonne whereas the requirement was of 22 lakh tonne.
Paswan said the Food Security law had been executed either wholly or partially in 11 states and the rest 25 states and Union Territories have been told to implement it in the next three months.
He said a letter to this effect had been sent to all heads of states where the Food Security Act had not been implemented yet. A meeting of the state food ministers has been called in Delhi on 4 July to discuss good guarantee scheme, he added.
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