Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish: Panel To Put Bite Back Into Food Corporation of India
Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish: Panel To Put Bite Back Into Food Corporation of India
Food Corporation of India was in the need of an overhaul. Successive committees have been formed to look into the food security problem in India. But so far, the hunger pangs remain unabated. A new committee now looks to put life back into FCI.
To get rid of functional as well as cost inefficiencies, a high-level committee has been set up with the aim of restructuring the state-run corporation and strengthening the public distribution or PDS system in India.
Consider the fact that India is battling food inflation despite having record crop outputs last year. India's PDS system has always been weak and food has often rotted in Indian warehouses regardless of which party is in power. Politics aside, all governments so far have not been able to do something about the massive inefficiencies plaguing the Indian public distribution system.
The FCI was established under the Food Corporation Act in the year 1964. It is the apex agency for the procurement as well as the storage and distribution of grains in India. PDS as well as welfare schemes procedure grains from this nodal agency for distribution,
"It is commonly perceived that FCI is plagued today with several functional and cost inefficiencies, which need to be removed for efficient management of foodgrains and saving costs. Therefore, it has been decided to set up a High-level Committee (HLC)," a noted daily quoted the order issued by the Food Ministry.
An 8 member panel has been formed and it is headed by HP MP Shanta Kumar. The committee will make recommendations regarding the change in the structure of the FCI following consideration of several aspects such as the present sector and functional areas.
A report will be finalised by the panel and submitted to the government within 3 months. The committee will scrutinise various models of restructuring the FCI and suggest the one most suited to bringing forth more efficiency in operation as well as financial management.
Suggestions will also be made by the panel to remould the role and functions of the Food Corporation for the MSP/minimum support price operations as well as storage and distribution of grains and the food security system prevalent in the nation.
An effort will also be made by the panel to recommend cost-effective scientific models for storage as well as rationalised movement of food-grains as well as technology upgradation of the system used to manage the food-grains.
The other members of the committee include FCI Chairman cum MD C.Vishwanath and former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices Ashok Gulati along with Electronic and IT Secretary Ram Sewak Sharma. No doubt the committee will do its job well, but what is more important than the recommendations are the implementations. Experts past and present have commented on ways to rehaul FCI and the PDS of India. Whether the suggestions see the light of the day remains the topmost concern.
