Punjab Chief Minister 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 perted 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 perted 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.
Mr. Grewal apprised the Chief Minister that the production of wheat was likely to touch 156 lac MTs this year and arrangements for the procurement of 115 lac MT of Wheat through state procurement agencies had been finalized. As many as 1769 purchase centers (Mandis) in the state had been setup for the smooth procurement of the Wheat.
Prominent amongst those who attended the meeting included Food & Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, Chief Secretary Mr. Rakesh Singh, Financial Commissioner Development Mr. GS Sandhu, Secretary Food & Civil Supplies DS Grewal, Director Food & Civil Supplies Dr. Harkesh Singh Sidhu, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. KS Pannu, Secretary MD MARKFED Mr. AS Pannu, MD PUNSUP Mr. Vikas Partap, Secretary Mandi Board Dr. KS Sra, MD Punjab Agro Mr. Ashok Gupta and GM FCI Punjab Region Mr. Neel Kanth.