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The government has sanctioned 21,751 village grain banks in 20 states so far to provide safeguard against starvation during the period of lean season or natural calamities.
The scheme is being implemented since November 2004 by the Department of Food & Public Distribution.
The scheme aims to help marginalised food insecure households who do not have sufficient resources to purchase rations during lean season or natural calamities, Food Minister K V Thomas has said.
Such households in need of food grains, can borrow them from the village grain banks set up within their villages to be subsequently returned to the bank, Thomas said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Such banks can be set up in food scarce areas like drought prone areas, hot and cold desert areas, tribal areas and the inaccessible hilly areas which remain cut off because of natural calamities like flood etc.
About 30—40 below Poverty Line/Antyodaya Anna Yojna families may form a grain bank, the minister said.
These villages are to be identified/notified by the concerned State Government/Union Territories, he said.
Food grains are loaned to BPL families at the rate of one quintal per family under village grain bank scheme, Thomas said.
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