BADAL REVIEW ARRANGEMENTS FOR WHEAT PROCUREMENT

BADAL REVIEW ARRANGEMENTS FOR WHEAT PROCUREMENT

* Asks Kairon & Cs To Take Up Issue For Creating Additional Storage Capacity With Goi

Chandigarh :

Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal would soon meet the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Union Food Minister Prof. KV Thomas to seek their personal intervention for expeditious evacuation of previous stocks of Wheat and Rice from Punjab to other states to solve the storage problem in the state.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that he would also call on the Union Railway Minister Mr. Mukul Roy, if needed for allocating special railway rakes to transport the already stored Wheat and Rice from Punjab to the other parts of the country as per the demand of Food Corporation of India.

Taking part in the deliberations while presiding over a meeting to review the arrangements of Wheat procurement during the Rabi Marketing Season 2012 here at Chief Minister’s Office, Mr. Badal asked the Food & Civil Supplies Minister Mr. Adesh Partap Singh Kairon to intensify efforts to seek GoI’s prompt clearance for creation of scientific storage of food grains for atleast 25 lac MT in the state.

The Chief Minister also directed the Chief Secretary to coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture & Food, GoI for settlement of pending issues related to the procurement by the FCI. Mr. Badal also asked the Chief Secretary to take up the matter for creation of additional storage capacity of 20 lac MT, which had been diverted to other states and get it sanctioned back to Punjab as the state was facing acute storage capacity.

It may be recalled that the GoI/FCI had worked out storage of covered space in Punjab to the tune of 71 lac MT. However, while the state government floated tenders for construction of this capacity GoI without taking state government into confidence reduced the sanctioned capacity to 51 lac MT and a capacity of 20 lac MT was diverted to other states. Even after the construction of 51 lac MT covered godowns, Punjab would have to store around 30 lac MT wheat on unscientific plinths and there would still be a shortage of covered space for the storage of rice. Mr. Badal also asked the Secretary Food & Supplies to keep close liaison with all the Deputy Commissioners and District Controller Food & Supplies to ensure smooth and hassle free procurement.

Meanwhile, the Secretary Food & Civil Supplies Mr. DS Grewal explained to the Chief Minister at present there was an acute shortage of storage in the state in view of slow movement of food grains by Government of India. As on 1st April 2012 there was 68.5 lac MT wheat and 67 lac MT of rice stored in the state as compared to the opening stock of 51 lac MT of Wheat and 68 MT of Rice of the corresponding period of last year.