Centre allows Tripura govt to start rice procurement

The Centre today allowed the Tripura government to start procurement of 10,000 tonnes of rice in the state for ration shops and it will bear the cost.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar today met Union Food and Consumer Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and demanded that the state government should be allowed to start rice procurement in the state and the central government should reimburse the procurement cost.
The state government requires 3 lakh tonnes of foodgrains under the national Food Security Act and the entire quantity is being supplied by the state-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI) from the central pool, sources said.

Paswan immediately agreed to the Tripura government proposal to start rice procurement in the state and directed his ministry officials to facilitate the state government in this regard.
He asked Tripura CM to increase rice milling capacity in the state.
The food minister also assured Tripura CM that wheat will also be supplied to the state from April onwards.

Sarkar also demanded that the foodgrains provided under the food law should be increased to 10 kg per person per month and prices of rice should be lowered to Rs 2 per kg from the current Rs 3 per kg.
At present, there are 16 states under the scheme of decentralised procurement of foodgrains.

The scheme was introduced in 1997-98 to enhance efficiency of procurement and PDS and encouraging local procurement to the maximum extent thereby extending the benefits of MSP to local farmers as well as to save on transit costs.
This also enables procurement of foodgrains more suited to the local taste.
Under this scheme, the State Government itself undertakes direct purchase of paddy and wheat and procurement of levy rice on behalf of the Central Government, and also stores and distributes these foodgrains under PDS and other welfare schemes.
The Central Government undertakes to meet the entire expenditure incurred by the State Governments on the procurement operations as per the approved costing.