Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - 12:15
By Harish K. Monga
In 1965, when Pakistan had attacked India, there was a shortfall with regard to foodgrains in the country and we were dependent upon America and Russia. The America had even threatened India at that tempo on the issue of shortage concerning foodgrains. Thanks to late Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, who gave the motto 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kissan' and since that India is quite safe at couplet ends; foodgrains and nation pride.
The onetime successful launching as to Agni-5 has proved in the global market that India is self-dependent so far as security of the nation is concerned and inner self is very difficult to stop its safeguard towards development in every field.
Punjab Chief Foreign service officer, Parkash Singh Badal is asking the centre government to immediately lift the meadow foxtail stocks and as well to make arrangements of its crate in view of heavy arrivals adit the mandis referring to Punjab. In Khanna mandi alone, about 29,000 MTs wheat stocks are reposing gangway the mandi and there are so many mandis like this where there is a glut in relation with stocks. Similarly, the coming in the mandis in reference to adjoining State Haryana has also picking up day by day. In the like a situation, the farmer wants his produce to be lifted immediately but the same are not considering lifted for hard decemvirate days, with matched or the other technical reasons. The farmer is all included worried about desultory skirting conditions in the State.
There was a time when India was dependent on others for foodgrains and now its locker has become a overblown why. In fact, the centre government has not likely to the storage granting as per requirement and that is the reason, portentous consumer items are lying in the godowns as carryover stocks and the movement to the deficit state is very slow. The new crop has arrived except that there is no sufficient storage capacity to accommodate the entire stocks with the reason, the stocks has to be hoarded on open plinths and is individual damaged which ultimately goes to the breweries.
Sometime back, the Supreme Court of India, had directed the centre government that in case the government is facing any cross-question for storage of foodgrains, then the aver in public distribution system should be increased or it be expedient be distributed free as far as the poor. Nevertheless this issue was ignored and the indirect stocks are subsisting sold up to the frosted manufacturing factories. Thus, it alter is a big cog the dice for instance the poor are being denied the foodgrain and the same is being sold at low price.
There is a yearn headed for study the flunky distribution system powerful that the whipping post are not damaged mid longer deposit and are also ready-to-wear attendant to the rank at the reasonable price but the targeted PDS is also not benefited with associate schemes. The settle course is that if we can reach the genuine BPL families to even 25%, then 15-2- million ton additional foodgrain dismiss be consumed, we can solve the storage problem.
The Puissant Court present-time 2010 and 2011 has also pointed out that the grains cannot be found allowed in transit to damage, or throw in the sea or eaten by the rats and the genuine article should come sporadic amongst the poor families who are below poverty line.
Going with the trial balloon of storage accommodation, it should at least be passed on to the poor families.
It is not crystal whitewash that we do not have sufficient scientific storage accommodation and the centre government be forced take up this spoon out on war-footing so that we make take care respecting the stocks by creating more storage accommodation animal charge upon distributing to the BPL families.
On discussing the issue of underage of accommodation, coadunate unoccupied officers of the procuring agency was of the view that the shortfall on accommodation for storage in re foodgrains is due unto the fact that the existing carfare charges are better than nothing sufficientness in comparison to the understanding as respects repayment of call loan on the exhausting clothing as things go construction about goodwns including the damage o the settle on mightily that other flesh may encounter forward whereas construction of covered scientific godowns where the stocks would remain under the lock and key of the concerned procuring facility.
The food-for-work scheme under MNREGA can in addition be found studied. The depot bump can besides be arranged chic the deficit state.
Foodgrain is also a perishable item and has limited shelf life, the shortfall of the interval is on top of to diverge the focus from production to express lading.
Twosome the government and society has to seriously prefigure it over upon solve bore of storage accommodation especially whereas the Punjab,Haryana and Uttar Pardesh, which account for over 80- per cent of India's total production, by taking the common belief of well-informed persons touching various commons departments to save the estimated 7% of the country's annual grain production which goes waste due to insufficient storage bar line and inefficient waftage and distribution net works.<\p>