Baghel reiterates demand for procurement of 40 LMT rice in FCI

Central Chronicle News
Raipur, Feb 05: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel today met Union Food and Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi and reiterated his demand of increasing the permitted amount of 24 lakh metric tonnes of rice to be procured under the central pool in FCI to 40 lakh metric tonnes in the Kharif marketing year 2020-21.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister Mr. Baghel said that in the interest of farmers of Chhattisgarh, the Centre should give permission for procurement of 40 lakh metric tonnes of rice in the Food Corporation of India at the earliest as 92 lakh metric tonnes of paddy have been procured from 20.53 lakh farmers on the support price in Chhattisgarh in the Kharif marketing year 2020-21, as on 31 January 2021, under the decentralized procurement scheme. Baghel emphasized that in-principle consent was given for taking 60 lakh metric tonnes of rice to the central pool for Chhattisgarh, due to which it is possible to resolve about 89 lakh metric tonns of paddy currently acquired. He maintained that the Food Department has been allowed by the Government of India to take only 24 lakh metric tonnes of rice (16 lakh metric tons of unna and 8 lakh metric tons of arva) under the central pool in the Food Corporation of India in the Kharif year 2020-21. The state’s PDS will require 20 lakh metric tons of rice and in addition to this, the stock of 3 lakh metric tons of rice will be kept by the Civil Supplies Corporation. In this way, it will be possible to dispose of 70.50 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from 47 lakh metric tonnes of rice which is being acquired.
Other issues such as approval for using used gunny bags for procurement, pending food subsidies, pending payment of paddy transportation etc were discussed in the meeting. Secretary to the chief minister, Siddharth Komal Pardesi and Chhattisgarh Food and Civil Supplies Secretary Kamalpreet Singh were also present in the meeting.

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