From the desk of Mrs. Baby Abraham
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FOOD GRAINS
While India ranks 55th in the Global Hunger Index (GHI), an RTI reply has revealed that around 62,000 tonnes of food grains, mainly rice and wheat have been damaged in the godowns of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in the last six years with Maharashtra topping the list of states. Every year, crores of rupees are spent to prevent decay and then again a whooping sum is spent to dispose of the piled up waste.
The RTI reply given by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution has pegged the damaged food grains grains to 61,824 tonnes between 2011-12 and 2016-17. The FCI has 1,889 warehouses across the country. Many of them located in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur did not report any damages. According to an estimate, the wasted grains could have fed 8 lakh poor people under the National Food Security Act for an entire year.
In 2016-17 (up to March 1), a damage of 8,679 tonnes of food grains was reported, with Maharashtra topping the list of states with 7,963 tonnes. Sources said there are various reasons for the damage of food grains, including pest attacks, leakages in godowns, procurement of poor quality stocks, exposure to rains, floods, and negligence on the part of the persons concerned in taking precautionary measures.
India has a total storage capacity of 811 lakh tonnes for central pool stocks, which is much more than the capacity required. In 2016-2017, the required capacity for central pool stocks (stock position) was 534 lakh tonnes. The government has also issued guidelines for the disposal of damaged food grains. Accordingly, the FCI plans to sell from its various depots, damaged food grains (mainly wheat and rice) unfit for human consumption as manure, feed for animals and for industrial purposes.
As per a survey by the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata, only 10 per cent foods get cold storage facility in India.
...& ANALYSIS
· One of the main problems for this wastage is the lack of storage space.
· In states like Punjab, reported pilferage is the biggest problem.
· At time, procured wheat stored in various state government-owned godowns is lost to theft.
· Sometimes, thieves pour water on the wheat sacks so they appear heavier.
Whenever we have enormous production of food grains and pulses or any food items which exceeds our storage capacity at any time, why not the government pay for it and then :
1. distribute it at the ration shops at the “ relationship price .
2. distribute it for school meal programs
3. distribute to “ institutions “ which cater to needy people,
4. for small business groups which may greatly help them to make some money.
5. For mountain people who cannot cultivate the hilly areas etc
6. For people on the coastal areas
7. Some can be given to cattle farms, some for fish farms , prawn, lobster farms , goat farms , chicken farms
8. Instead of oil cakes, the whole grains and pulses can be used as manure for agricultural farms. Just soak them with yeast or toddy, or sugar or jaggery or left over from the sugarcane mills for few days and apply them. They are excellent for plants like sprouted grains and pulses , even more nutritious and boost the growth of plants and productivity .
Why leave it for rotting and of no use for anyone . Somebody worked hard for it and it is the fruit of their labour and sweat . When they hear that it went waste they will be heart broken . But if they hear that it enriched somebody somewhere, that will be a boost to produce more the next year .
Their labour was not in vain .
Compared to the Loan Waiver amount , this amount is so negligible and the farmers will never have to take loan from the banks or from the money lenders , provided they handle “ Their Money “ judiciously and carefully . Let them also have “ home budget “ in a small way so that they can plan out their ‘Finance and Expenditure and Savings .” Then they will have a grasp of :
1. what they are doing with their money,
How they are spending their money ,
Was the spending absolutely necessary.
Whether the spending could have been avoided or postponed and
use the same amount for more “ Urgent need “,
How to postpone certain dealings and needs ,
How to do certain things “ on time “ so that much troubles and difficulties and heart breaks can be avoided .
How to prioritise needs and “ wants “ and idle expenditures .
Let them have the “ pleasure of saving “ from their own production and salary and gifts and grants and use them much more efficiently so that the little amount can generate far more
” for them “ .
Saving to pay loans to bank or money lender is not a pleasant proposition even though they took the money from them in the first place . Therefore as much as possible , quickly pay back what ever is taken and then gradually and continuously “ generate “ their own account “ . Help them to watch how it grows like the growth of their children, like the growth of their shops, like the growth of their educational or health institutions or business and family welfare and stability grow . Along the way , they help others or rather forced to employ and help their families also grow ! and when they get the “ gratitude “ not “ abuse “ as is what is tendered usually , it will be a pleasant experience . All simple “ chain reaction, continued chain reaction “ . When there is any blockage, discontinuity, stagnation or broken section occur , suddenly “ THE WHEEL “ stops. People are on road , no study , no work, no business, no production, no generation of wealth or peace or harmony .
Then who gains ? Those who have excess stock which they gathered , every bit of it , come to the arena and sell their goods at any rate they want !!! some times more , some times less , sometimes for free ! They have abundance and so they just distribute and people will do anything for them because they received help even without asking in their troubles . Since they are “ helping hands “ no one is afraid of them . They feel they can be trusted not only in good times but will not be exploited in their difficulties !!!! That confidence in them is a great boost for them to do the same way to others ( usually, but not always ) . Thus the chain reaction of “ GOODNESS AND WELLNESS “ circulate in the society and in the country .