DROUGHT RELIEF: LARGE SCALE MOVEMENT
OF FOODGRAINS BY FCI
The Food Corporation
of India (FCI) has been moving about 11.25 lakh tonnes of foodgrains
equivalent to 490 rakes (goods train) per month to 14 drought
affected states during the year 2002-03. The average movement
during the first quarter of 2003-04 is expected to be about 20.14
lakh tonnes per month equivalent to 875 rakes, marking an increase
of 79 per cent over the previous year.
To tackle the drought
situation 63.4 lakh tonnes of foodgrains was allocated to the
drought affected states under special component of Sampoorna Gramin
Rozgar Yojana (SGRY). Besides 42 lakah tonnes were allocated under
SRGY (normal). Against the total allocation of 105 lakh MTs. the
offtake was 85 lakh tonnes. FCI depots in all the drought-affected
areas are operating on holidays and late hours whenever required
by the State Government to meet the requirement.
Against a total allotment
of 89.5 million MTs. of foodgrain, about 46.5 million MTs. was
issued during 2002-03 under all schemes. This excludes stocks
issued by the State Governments under decentralised procurement
scheme. The corporation is providing sufficient foodgrains to
all the states for distributing them through nearly 4.54 lakh
PDS shops particularly to those catering to about 6.5 crores families
living below poverty line.
Movement of foodgrains
to drought affected states has increased tremendously during the
first quarter of the current financial year as compared to the
corresponding period of last year. During April-June 2003 16.4
lakh tonnes of foodgrains were moved to Rajasthan as against.
2.22 lakh tonnes during the correspondening period last year.
Foodgrain movement is expected to increase several fold to states
like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
FCI will be sending
7 lakh tonnes of wheat to Rajasthan during the months of June
and July to mitigate the situtation arising due to severe drought
there. The corporation has released about 24 million tonnes of
foodgrains comprising 13 million tonnes of wheat and 11 million
tonnes of rice to public sector undertakings and private traders
for export. As on May 1, 2003, the central pool has a stock of
413 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrains comprising 260 lakh metric
tonnes of wheat and 153 lakh metric tonnes of rice.
