Maha awaits Centre's guidelines to launch food security

The state has already undertaken smart card scheme, foodgrains guarantee scheme; constructing godowns for effective implementation

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday clarified the implementation of food security in the state would only be possible after the Centre issued necessary guidelines on the launch of the food security scheme and its beneficiaries.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anil Deshmukh said it would be difficult to give an estimate about the beneficiaries to be covered under the food security scheme till the guidelines were issued.

On its part, Deshmukh said, the Maharashtra government had taken a slew of measures including conversion of existing ration cards into smart cards, construction of 611 godowns and more, for the effective implementation of the food security scheme in the state.

“The state government is fully prepared and equipped to implement the food security scheme in a most transparent manner. The objective is to curb pilferages and corruption so that real and genuine beneficiaries benefit,” Deshmukh told Business Standard.

“In Maharashtra, there are 1,10,000 ration shops with 2.5 crore ration card holders. An estimated 4.38 lakh tonnes of foodgrain (wheat and rice) are distributed every month under the public distribution scheme. The state government has undertaken massive computerisation, whereby the existing ration cards would be replaced by bar coded smart cards having the photograph of the family head. Besides, an SMS scheme has been introduced, whereby information with regard to the monthly food grain supply in the respective areas would be sent to the ration card holder,” Deshmukh added.

Further, Deshmukh said the state government, in association with the Centre, had undertaken the construction of 611 godowns with an investment of Rs 2,000 crore to store 13.5 lakh tonnes of foodgrain. “Necessary funds have been mobilised through the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development. These godowns would help avoid wastage of foodgrain for want of storage facility,” he said.

According to the minister, Maharashtra is among the few states which has launched a “Foodgrain Guarantee Scheme” to address issues relating to the diversion of foodgrain during its transportation.

“Currently, the scheme has been launched on an experimental basis in 15,000 of the total 43,711 villages but subsequently it would cover the entire state. The scheme envisages transportation of three months stock of foodgrain to a village at one go. The foodgrain is given to the beneficiaries in the presence of three members of the village vigilance committee and villagers. The foodgrain distribution is done on every seventh day of the month which is declared as Food Day,” the minister said.

In case of those beneficiaries, who are unable to pick up their quota on Food Day, would be entitled to collect it during the Food Week which would be observed between the eighth and fifteenth day of a month, Deshmukh said.

Moreover, the government has taken a decision to award new ration shops to women self help groups (SHGs). “Of the existing 1,10,000 ration shops, 16,000 are currently managed by women SHGs,'' Deshmukh said.