HC seeks Centre's response on plea seeking sufficient grain storage facilities

The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the Central government and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to respond to a plea seeking to build sufficient grain storage facilities to save the cereals from being spoiled.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V.A. Kameswar Rao asked the government, Ministry of Agriculture, and FCI to file a response on the plea seeking a direction to maintain, take precaution and ensure safety measures in storing the foodgrains so that they do not get spoiled.

The court has listed the matter for further hearing on January 31, 2019.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by social worker Salek Chand Jain through advocate J.K. Gupta.

Advocate Gupta, in the plea, said that due to lack of management in procuring and storing grains, several lakh metric tonnes of foodgrains, including wheat and rice, as well as other eatable items like vegetables and fruits are spoiled.

According to the Indian Food Banking Organisation, 3,000 children die everyday in the country due to poor diet-related illnesses. In July, three minor children died due to starvation in Mandawali in east Delhi, the plea mentioned.

Citing the National Crime Record Bureau record on the increase in the suicidal tendency of farmers due to failure of monsoon, drought, high debt burdens, government policies and not getting appropriate price for their crops, the plea sought a direction to make proper arrangements for the distribution of foodgrains.

It also sought the formation of a separate department to educate the farmers on the conventional, traditional and new scientific techniques for storing foodgrains.

--IANS

akk/mag/bg