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 Procurement of Foodgrains
Procurement of foodgrains at support prices ensures stability in farm prices. It serves the twin purpose of ensuring remunerative price to the farmers and of building public stocks of foodgrains.
- Marketing Season: October-September
- Marketing Season: April-March
Distribution
The offtake of foodgrains (wheat and rice) from the Central Pool by various States/UTs and others for distribution through fair price shops and for Welfare/Employment programmes in 2003-04 was 479.3 lakh tonnes as against 496.3 lakh tonnes during 2002-03. The total off-take of foodgrains (wheat and rice) under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) during April 2003 to March 2004 was about 227.91 lakh tonnes comprising 120.83 tonnes of rice and 107.08 tonnes of wheat.
Import and Export
No import of foodgrains in the Central Pool had taken place during 2003-04. From the financial year 2000-01, the Government decided to offer rice and wheat from the Central Pool for export in view of the huge surplus and low offtake. Since the inception of export of foodgrains, 198.70 lakh MT of wheat and 135.34 lakh MT (provisional) of rice had been lifted for export from the Central Pool till March 2004.
Food for Work Programme/Special Component of Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana
The Ministry of Rural Development launched the Food for Work Programme (FFWP) in the rural areas of drought-affected States in January 2001 as part of the Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS). The scheme was extended to areas affected by other natural calamities also. The Scheme provides for allocation of foodgrains (rice and wheat) free of cost to States/UTs as an additional resource. The scheme was discontinued from 31 March 2002. However the programme has been allowed to continue as a Special Component of Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana.
Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana
The Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech, on 15 August 2001 announced the introduction of a Universal Food for Work Programme to be called Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana in all the States/UTs for organising various employment generation programmes. Under the Scheme, 50 lakh tonnes of foodgrains amounting to Rs 5,000 crore (at economic cost) are provided every year, free of cost, to the States/UTs. An additional Rs 5,000 crore is utilised to meet the cash component of wages and material cost. About 100 crore man-days of employment are envisaged to be generated every year through the SGRY. Under the scheme, five kg of foodgrains is ensured per man-day to all unemployed rural workers. The remaining parts of the wages are paid in cash.
Mid-day Meal Scheme
The Mid-Day Meal Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (Department of Education) from 15 August 1995 for the benefit of students in primary schools in Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS)/earlier Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS) blocks (2,368). The Scheme covers students (Class I-V) in the Government Primary Schools/Primary Schools aided by Government and the Primary Schools run by local bodies. The Scheme was later on extended to cover all low female literacy blocks and all primary schools and 3,000 Nagar Palikas.
Foodgrains (wheat and rice) are supplied free of cost at the rate of 100 gram per child per school day where cooked/processed hot meal is being served with a minimum content of 300 calories and 8-12 gm of protein each day of school for a minimum of 200 days and three kg per student per month for 10 months in a year, where foodgrains are distributed in raw form.
For quick implementation of the scheme, Department of Elementary Education and Literacy has been authorised to make State/UT-wise allocation of foodgrains. Food Corporation of India (FCI) releases foodgrains to States/UTs at BPL rates as per allocation made by Department of Elementary Education and Literacy.
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