A group in Parliament told the government on Monday that it has not built enough storage buildings, called godowns, in the last four years. They want the main government department to create a special committee to speed things up in the northeastern and hilly areas. In a report about money needed for 2024-25, the Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution Committee said that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) set a goal to build godowns with a total capacity of 50,100 tonnes in 2023-24, but they only managed to build enough for 1,760 tonnes, using Rs 52.75 crore. For 2024-25, the goal is to construct storage facilities with a capacity of 58,540 tonnes, but as of September 30, they have not built any at all. The FCI has not met its goals for several years because of the National Food Security Act.
The committee also raised concerns about the slow building of godowns in the northeastern states, saying problems like delays in getting land, tough geographical conditions, and bad weather are not new issues. They suggested that the government should have planned better taking these factors into account. The committee advised the government to form a high-level group with state officials to solve these problems, speed up construction, and meet targets.
Regarding storage silos, the committee pointed out the need for fair distribution across the country, especially in areas that consume a lot of wheat. They stressed that the building of silos should be done on time. The government is encouraged to involve private companies in this work to boost the efficiency of silo operations. Currently, there are plans for silos with a total capacity of 24.25 lakh tonnes. Out of this, 17.75 lakh tonnes have been completed, while 6.5 lakh tonnes are still being developed.
The committee also mentioned there are many complaints about under-weighing at fair price shops. They advised the government to make sure that states connect all electronic weighing scales to Electronic Point of Sale Devices to help with this issue.
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