Steel silos with a storage capacity of 6.25 lakh tonnes (LT) of foodgrains has been constructed so far, the government informed Parliament today.
The Centre has approved an action plan for construction of steel silos in the country for a capacity of 100 lakh tonnes in three phases.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Food C R Choudhary said tenders have been awarded for 38.50 lakh tonnes and a capacity of 6.25 lakh tonnes has been added.
Otherwise, state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies together have foodgrain storage capacity of 726.18 lakh tonnes and it is sufficient for the use, he said.
The storage capacity creation is being encouraged under the private entrepreneurs guarantee scheme under which 139.92 lakh tonnes capacity has already been created, he added.
To a separate query about FCI labourers handling higher bags per day, the Minister said the matter was investigated and disciplinary action has been taken against concerned erring officials.
Further, preventive measures like installation of CCTV cameras, biometric attendance has been put to place to avoid possible use of any proxy labour, he said.
The minister also mentioned that the FCI paid Rs 3,664.18 crore payment towards labour charges during 2016-17 fiscal.
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