ITANAGAR: While food crisis continues to haunt Arunachal Pradesh since September last year due to failure of Food Corporation of India (FCI) to supply essential commodities to its base depots, Planning Commission of India (PCI) member Dr Soumitra Chowdhury and PCI’s NE advisor Brahmo Chowdhury, were witness to the proof when the inspected the empty FCI base depot capable of stocking 2500 MT at Pasighat on Friday.
The depot feeds Upper, West and East Siang districts whose over 2 lakh consumers have been hit hard by the crisis, the visiting dignitaries were accompanied by East Siang deputy commissioner Talem Tapok.
According to district food and civil supply officers (DF&CSO) of these districts essential items like rice, wheat and sugar and others were not made available to the consumers by the FCI since September last. Only 1700 MT of rice was supplied by FCI in August last which was much below the quotas for the districts.
Mr Tapok expressed serious concern over the shortage and informed that these districts are passing through a very critical situation for shortage of essential commodities since September last as lifting of food grains from alternate FCI depot in Assam could not be materialise.
He drew their attention towards complete dependency of the people on PDS and appealed to solve the problem soon by ensuring adequate and timely supply food grains to tackle the crisis besides buffer stocks for lean months.
However, Chowdhury assured to take up the issue with the FCI authorities to normalize the supply position. The state government has been making all possible efforts to end the food crisis with state’s Food & Civil Supplies Minister Kamlung Mosang in presence of Union Minister of State for Food and Public Distribution Professor K V Thomas receiving an assurance form FCI chairman-cum-managing director Siraj Hussain that the problem would be tackled at the earliest.
Kamlung told UNI on Saturday that the assurance came at a high level meeting chaired by Prof Thomas and attended by senior officers of FCI, including food & public distribution secretary Bhusan Chandra Gupta at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi on Thursday. He said Hussain on behalf of Union minister assured that separate railway racks for transporting food grains and levy sugar for Arunachal Pradesh is being earmarked and committed to post a regular general manager to FCI’s regional office at Itanagar at the earliest to mitigate the present food crisis.
Union food & civil supplies ministry’s under secretary KC Yadav and FCI deputy general managers Jagdish Kumar and SK Saheb had called on Chief Minister Nabam Tuki here on Thursday and assured smooth delivery of food grains to the base depots from the ensuing month after Tuki categorically told them “We cannot compromise with food security.”
The PCI team accompanied with state’s PWD and Finance Minister Chowna Mein also inspected the 3.47 acre of land earmarked by Lohit district administration at district HQs Tezu for construction of FCI depot.
The FCI depot with a capacity of 3340 MT would serve both Lohit and Anjaw districts.
In fact, former chief minister, late Dorjee Khandu was instrumental in streamlining the public distribution system after convincing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2007 the need to open FCI depots in each 16 districts inside the state to ensure delivery of food grains to the targeted group and end siphoning of the essential commodities to black market.
FCI had its godowns at Karsingsa (Papum Pare), Bhalukpong (West Kameng), Pasighat (East Siang) and Kharsang (Changlang) near the inter-state boundary and there were complaints of rampant diversion of PDS items to the black market of the neighbouring state.
Thus the process had begun with due earnest and FCI has opened base depots at Tawang, Seppa, Ziro, Daporijo, Anini, Tezu, Roing and Deomali for effective functioning of the PDS. But the PDS is yet to meet its desired target for the lackadaisical attitude of the FCI in providing an effective delivery system. (UNI)