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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Digitisation helps weed out 2.96 crore bogus ration cards by Gargi Parsai

Digitisation helps weed out 2.96 crore bogus ration cards by Gargi Parsai

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published Published on Jan 14, 2012   modified Modified on Jan 14, 2012

Centre convenes meeting of State Food Ministers on PDS modernisation

A concerted move by the Centre to encourage the States to digitise ration cards has enabled it to weed out 2.96 crore bogus ration cards from the public distribution system. Of an estimated 10.56 crore ration cards, the number of cards has come down to 7.6 crores, Union Minister of States for Food and Consumer Affairs K.V. Thomas told journalists here.

Bogus ration cards as well as diversion of foodgrains have been the bane of the PDS. The Minister said that some studies had found that an estimated 40 per cent of PDS grains were diverted. This, however, has come down to 20 per cent in recent years, he added.

In a major initiative to modernise and mechanise the public distribution system, the Centre is going ahead with “end to end” computerisation of the system for which Rs. 4000 crore will be sanctioned.

A Special Purpose Vehicle for better coordination in foodgrains movement will be launched between the Food Corporation of India, the Railways and the Department of Food and Public Distribution.

The details of these projects will be fine-tuned in a meeting of State Agriculture and Food Ministers convened by the Centre here on February 8 and 9.

“Our first attempt is to modernise the PDS so that subsidised foodgrains reach the designated people [under the proposed Food Security Act],” Mr. Thomas said.

Faced with a situation of “plenty” in wheat and rice stocks, the government has speeded up its plans for construction of additional foodgrains storage capacity. During this year, seven million tonnes and in the next year, another eight million tonnes of storage capacity will be added. The FCI will oversee the installation of silos of two million tonnes of storage capacity.

During the year, it is expected that the FCI will be strengthened. A McKinsey report (that had suggested cutting down of labour and staff will be “examined''. In the meantime, an expert committee will be appointed to study how to “settle labour issues'' and strengthen the FCI.

Dispelling speculation on laying off of FCI staff, Mr. Thomas said recruitment, especially of quality control staff, had been re-started in the FCI. “For all labour-related issues, unions will be consulted,'' he assured.

In an answer to a question, he said his ministry was talking to the governments of Tamil Nadu and Kerala on their reservations on the food security Bill. The Tamil Nadu government had said that the Bill was replete with “confusion and inaccuracy'' and encroached upon the domain of the States in designing and implementing the programme.

Mr. Thomas said the Centre was in touch with the States to explain its point of view.

He said States like West Bengal and Assam who required paddy milling mechanism to be set up had been advised to seek funds from the RBI and technology from the Department of Food Processing.

To a question on price of onions, he said the government proposed to set up a fund in collaboration with the farmers, on the lines of the Sugar Development Funds, so that the price volatility could be cushioned and a price support mechanism be put in place to ensure that there was no distress sale.

The Hindu, 14 January, 2012, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2799987.ece


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