During his visit to Bhojpur and Buxar Districts of Bihar on Wednesday, Secretary Department of Food and Public Distribution, Shri Sudhanshu Pandey directed to complete the construction of Wheat and Rice Silo in Buxar by December 2022 so that it can be effectively utilized.
He reviewed the progress of implementation of lifting and distribution of foodgrains under National Food Security Act and PMGKAY and preparedness of paddy procurement for the upcoming KMS 2022-23.
Shri Pandey inspected one PDS shop each in Panchayat Kayam Nagar, Ward No-45 of Koilwar block in Bhojpur district and in Brahmapur block Nizam Panchayat of Dumrao sub-division of Buxar district. He also interacted with the beneficiaries and inquired about the quality and quantity they received through PDS shops.
He also reviewed the public distribution system of Buxar district with the District Magistrate, Buxar. The Union Secretary appreciated the important work done by the State in Public Distribution System and Procurement in the last two (two) years and expressed satisfaction over the continuous implementation and modernization of the technical system. He said that almost all the complaints of Public Distribution System would be ended once the facility of on line scales and cashless payment is fully implemented.
Shri Vinay Kumar, Secretary Food and Consumer Affairs Deptt Govt. of Bihar, General Manager, Food Corporation of India, Bihar Region, Regional Manager, Central Warehousing Corporation and other senior Officers of the state were also present during the visit.
Food Secretary, Govt. of Bihar, through a detailed presentation, apprised the Union Secretary about the lifting and distribution under National Food Security Act and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, and informed that during the difficult times of the Covid pandemic in the state, a door-to-door campaign was launched and more than 24 (twenty four) lakh ration cards were issued to eligible and deserving families. So far 37 (thirty-seven) lakh ration cards have been issued through this campaign. The State Food Secretary also informed that the process of removal of ineligible families and issuance of ration cards to eligible families has been continuously going on in the state. He also informed that a record distribution of 9.5 LMT of food grains is being made under the National Food Security Act and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana every month in the state.
The Union Food Secretary was informed that in the light of the decision taken by the State Government for more procurement, there has been a record procurement of Paddy in the last 02 (two) Kharif seasons in the State and Minimum Support Price (MSP) was directly transferred into the account of farmers within 48 hours. It was also informed that complete transparency and efficiency has been brought in the whole procurement chain management system in the State and timely distribution of the procured stocks is being ensured under the Public Distribution System in the State.
General Manager, Food Corporation of India made a presentation regarding the schemes being implemented in the field of food grain storage management in the state and gave detailed information about the management of godowns, star-rating and their upgradation. He also informed about the PEG schemes and its implementation in the state. He also informed about the construction of Silo under Hub and Spoke model in the state.