The supply of grains from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns has increased 10-fold since the outbreak of the COVID-19 in the Mysuru division.
This was stated by Uday Singh Rawat, Divisional Manager, FCI, Mysuru division, here on Friday.
The Divisional Office of FCI in Mysuru meets the foodgrain requirements of the revenue districts of Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu and Tumakuru. He said the monthly allocation to cater to the entire region under normal circumstances is 40,00 tonnes and it helps meet the requirements of various schemes being implemented by the State under the National Food Security Act.
But consequent to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to the outgo of 40,000 tonnes per month or 4.8 lakh tonnes per annum under NFSA, there was an additional outgo from the FCI under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMKGAY) under which the outgo was to the tune of 2,92, 615 tonnes during 2020-21. But with the COVID-19 showing no signs of abating and the third wave peaking in April-May, there was a further rise in the foodgrain allotment and it went up to 4,11,164 tonnes under PMGKAY, Mr .Rawat added.
The FCI officials said the foodgrains were released by the FCI to the States which disbursed them through the PDS to the weaker sections of the society under PMGKAY scheme to ensure that no individual was deprived of food.
The officials said the Central Government has planned to supply fortified rice in NFSA scheme throughout the country to women and also children under the midday meals schemes and the FCI was catering to it through procurement and supply.
The FCI godowns stock six months of requirement of a region - based on the projected demand - as per the norms to meet any exigency due to calamity and there are 5 godowns in Mysuru city besides storage facilities in other districts coming under its jurisdiction.
To ensure timely supply to the Mysuru division, the FCI has 17 storage facilities in Mysuru, Nanjangud, K.R.Nagar, Tumakuru and Kushalnagar besides which the FCI has rented out 11 depots for storage of wheat and rice, according to the officials.
The foodgrains are received through rake from surplus states like Punjab or Haryana and moved to the godowns through trucks from the goodshed. Nearly 30 rakes of 2,500 tonnes are received from the northern States amounting to approximately 75,000 tones of foodgrains and distributed each month from FCI through the PDS, the officials added.
Explaining the protocols followed by the FCI to ensure that wastage or spillage was minimal, K.V.S. Bhkatavatsala and Shaistha Bhanu, both managers, Quality Control, Mysuru said that quality checks are conducted to ensure that the grains do not degrade or rot and the bags are subjected to fumigation and regular aeration.
This apart, samples are taken and analysed for quality and the standards followed in construction of godowns ensures that the stocked grains are out of bounds to the rodents, they added.
The entire end-to-end operations of the FCI godowns and stocks are managed through Depot Online System to align with Digital India vision to ensure transparency in food supply and provide real time data on stock, said Ms. Shaistha Bhanu.
