The obscene destruction of food grains in FCI godowns, which in reality are a real feast zone for rodents, is nothing new. But what’s most ironical is that despite food prices soaring up like never before, the government seems so reluctant towards distributing the food grains, even those grain stocks that are on the verge of getting damaged, if not already damaged. According to reports obtained through the Right to Information Act, improper storage facilities and improper maintenance has destroyed a mind boggling 10,688 lakh tonnes of food grains over the years. What’s more shocking is that in spite of making allocation after allocation, and that too to the tune of thousands of crores of rupees towards food safety and food subsidy, food-grain stocks worth Rs 50,000 crores had to be disposed off as waste over the past few years due to improper storage facilities.

The incorrigibility of our authorities is so predominant that despite having knowledge about these damages, they still have not taken any adequate measures to improve the storage facilities. Otherwise, what else could be the logic behind the reliance on tarpaulin storage facilities for food grains. So much so that currently more than 170 lakh tonnes of grains are stored in tarpaulin facilities. The food grains stored under tarpaulin facilities not only have a low shelf life but also are exposed to frequent attacks by rodents. In the past, it was found that FCI’s godowns in a locality in Jaipur were storing liquor for Rajasthan State Breweries Corporation, while wheat grains were left in the open.

If one goes by Planning Commission’s estimates that a family should be provided with 35 kg of food grains per month, then the food wasted over the years (since 1997 till 2010) could have fed 25,000 lakh families in one year, or 2500 lakh families over the last 10 years! This would have also been enough to feed 830 lakh BPL families (with 35 kg grains per month) over the next thirty years!!! In other words, adequate storage and systematic distribution infrastructure could have fulfilled the objective of national food security bill, all by itself! If mistakes of the past are to be overlooked (which shouldn’t be), the present stock of 590 lakh tonnes of grains stored in various FCI godowns could easily feed 1404 lakh BPL 

families for a year – and we would be still left with huge buffer stock that could be used in emergency for the future.

This distribution will not only bring these to-be-destroyed gains to some effective use but will also benefit the government economically. Assuming that PDS are mobilized to distribute these stored grains (590 lakh tonnes in various FCI godowns across India) at Rs 3/kg (suggested by Planning Commission), it would add nothing less than Rs 17,000 crores to the government’s kitty. Such wastage of grains is not only a waste of precious food resources but also off sets the whole rationale of food subsidy. The food subsidy bill (that on an average is above Rs 50,000 crores) rarely finds itself reaching the needy. And such a waste means that along with grains worth tens of thousands of crores, a substantial part of food subsidy, attached with these grains, also gets wasted.

With anywhere between 20 to 30 crore Indians sleeping hungry every night and over 7000 Indians dying of hunger every day, such waste is not less than a criminal offence. In such a situation, There is no logic behind storing grains in ill-maintained FCI godowns, especially at a point in time when the grain prices are at their peak. Rather than focusing on expanding, upgrading and modernizing the FCI facilities, which can then pave the way for a successful and sustainable National Food Security Bill, the government’s focus on the Right to Food Bill is outright populist! Not to forget, it has still a lot to do with respect to the distribution front as well. No wonder, we do so much to keep earning a place which is worse than even sub-Saharan countries in the Global Hunger Index.

Supreme Court had put up a strong stand on the wastage of food grain.Supreme Court had said “Don’t waste food by making it rot in the godown; better give it to the poor who don’t get a daily meal. This advice, even though quiet logical and sensible, has to come from no one less than the Supreme Court of the country in order for the Government to shake the slumber and think over it. Justive Dalveer Bhandari and Justive Deepak Verma last week had to put the order in specific terms to ensure that the Government takes the directions seriously and not sit over it as a mere suggestion to the executive. The Bench specifically noted that “about 50,000 M.T. of wheat have already been deteriorated and is not fit for human consumption” and not just that but also that “several lakhs of Metric Tonnes of wheat which has been procured has not been properly preserved”. 

In this backdrop, the Supreme Court passed inter-alia the following order;

We would like the Central Government to inform us what steps they have taken to preserve the remaining food-grains procured by them. The Food Corporation of India must properly evaluate capacities of their godowns and procure only that much food-grains which can be properly preserved Justice Wadhwa, in the report of State of Orissa has mentioned that the system of storage agency is one of the main thrust of diversion of PDS food-grains. This system should end forth-with. The State Corporation has adequate storage facilities and sufficient reserves. Some of the godowns which are owned by the Corporation have let out to storage agents. The Panchayat Raj Department has six godowns of 15 M.T. Capacity and 300 godowns of 1000 M.T. Capacity. The Panchayat Raj Department and also the Urban Development Department may have more godowns if required. This suggestion may also be considered by Union of India and they must respond to it on the next date of hearing. According to the report of the Food Commissioner, lakhs of bogus cards are in circulation. According to a recent report of Times of India, more than 2,50,000 bogus cards are in circulation in the State of Orissa alone. By a newspaper advertisement, a warning be issued asking all the bogus card holders to surrender the bogus cards forthwith, in any event, within two weeks of the date of advertisement, otherwise criminal prosecution may be initiated against the bogus card holders. We have to develop a culture of zero tolerance corruption. Unless immediate and urgent steps are taken, the ultimate effect will be on the poorest citizen who is deprived of legitimate entitlement for food-grains. We must ensure that every poor person is ensured of two square meals per day. It is desirable to abolish the category of the Above Poverty Line altogether. In case it is not possible, then the Government should atleast consider limiting households whose annual income is less than Rs.2 lacs per year. We see no rationale or justification in providing subsidized food-grains to card holders whose annual income is more than Rupees two lakhs. We also call upon the Union of India to carry out fresh survey to get the correct and comprehensive picture of citizens who are in the categories of APL, BPL and AAY. Let the survey be conducted as early as possible.

A survey is required to get a clearer picture of the targeted population in the categories of APL, BPL and AAY. Some of the States are distributing fortified wheat flour (atta) which would also provide nutritional security. The Government may consider providing wheat flour. According to Justice Wadhwa’s report, there will be less pilferage if wheat flour is provided instead of wheat. It would be desirable to make allocation according to 2010 population estimates.

One can only hope that the Government will take note of the stern order and do the needful to ensure that food is, atleast, not wasted in this country.

We would like the Central Government to inform us what steps they have taken to preserve the remaining food-grains procured by them. The Food Corporation of India must properly evaluate capacities of their godowns and procure only that much food-grains which can be properly preserved Justice Wadhwa, in the report of State of Orissa has mentioned that the system of storage agency is one of the main thrust of diversion of PDS food-grains.

We have to develop a culture of zero tolerance corruption. Unless immediate and urgent steps are taken, the ultimate effect will be on the poorest citizen who is deprived of legitimate entitlement for food-grains. We must ensure that every poor person is ensured of two square meals per day. It is desirable to abolish the category of the Above Poverty Line altogether. In case it is not possible, then the Government should atleast consider limiting households whose annual income is less than Rs.2 lacs per year. 

The food grains stored under tarpaulin facilities not only have a low shelf life but also are exposed to frequent attacks by rodents. In the past, it was found that FCI’s godowns in a locality in Jaipur were found storing liquor for Rajasthan State Breweries Corporation, while wheat grains were left in the open.

By LawZ Bureau,