The Hindu Business Line : States allowed to supply flour through ration shops

Bangalore, Feb. 9 The Centre has allowed the State Governments, through an advisory, to supply 50 per cent of wheat supplied through ration shops or the public distribution system in the form of flour, according to the Secretary, Food and Public Distribution, Mr T. Nandakumar.

“The State Governments had wanted to distribute flour in the context of diversion of wheat for the PDS. It is also based on the recommendations of the Justice Wadhwa panel,” he said on the sidelines of the two-day international seminar on wheat and wheat products.

The Justice Wadhwa Panel, set up by the Supreme Court to go into the functioning of the PDS following a writ filed by the People’s Union of Civil Liberties, had suggested various measures to tone up the system, including supply of flour instead of wheat to avoid the grains diversion from the targeted groups.

“We are not forcing them to do it. The advisory is only in the form of instructions,” he said.

According to Mr S.K. Nanda, Principal Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Gujarat, the replacement of 50 per cent of wheat with flour was the first phase of action.

In the case of Gujarat, the flour will be fortified with vitamins and folic acid as part of its initiative to improve the micro-nutrient health of the poorer sections.

While it will help check diversion of wheat meant for PDS, it would also help roller flour mills as they would milling the wheat for the purpose, Mr Nanda said.

fortification of rice

Later addressing the valedictory session of the seminar, Mr Nandakumar said the Centre was yet to find an answer to fortification of rice. “Two-thirds of our population eats rice and if we don’t address this, we will be leaving out a majority of the poorer sections,” he said.

Referring to the food situation, he said the Centre would use its policy instruments at the appropriate time.

Stating that he wouldn’t like to respond to questions on wheat crop, exports and imports, the Secretary said: “We hope to produce more and procure as much as possible. We don’t mind surplus of foodgrains but we won’t allow the poor to suffer. We also want to give the farmers more.”

“We gave price triggers during the last two years to send signals to farmers to grow more paddy and wheat. The National Food Security Mission also targets to improve rice production by 10 million tonnes and wheat by eight million tonnes by 2011 by focussing on districts where the production is low and scope is there for possible growth,” he said.

On the sidelines, he said the Centre would ensure that prices of foodgrains remained stable.

Mr Nandakumar said the Centre was hoping for a “reasonably good wheat crop” and even a two per cent rise in the crop in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh would help.

The Centre was keen on getting the Warehousing Regulation Bill passed by Parliament this year. “Farmers should have their own choice to sell their produce. They can even store it the warehouses and take a loan from bank or sell it online to someone in a faraway corner,” he said.