PDS Gaya

Illegally Transported Kerosene Seized

noreply@blogger.com (Oglacs) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:48:00 +0000

In another shameful act related to PDS in India, around 3000 litres of kerosene being illegally transported was seized by the police at Polasara in Ganjam district of Odisha, the police said today.

The kerosene, meant for the public distribution system (PDS), was allegedly transported in a mini-truck yesterday, they said. "The driver of the truck Sushant Sahu was arrested," Sub-divisional Police Officer (Chhatrapur) Shantanu Padhy said. The kerosene was being transported from Dhunkapada near Polasara.

Source - PTI

Rice Procurement Crosses 250 Lakh Tonne

noreply@blogger.com (Oglacs) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:02:00 +0000

Rice procurement in the Kharif marketing season 2011-12 (October-September) has crossed the mark of 250 lakh tonne. According to statistics 2,50,24,200 tonne rice has been procured by the various government agencies by February 22, 2012.

Punjab procured 77,31,325 tonne followed by Chhatisgarh 40,54,679 Andhra Pradesh 36,87,335 and Haryana 19,73,875 tonne of rice. This procurement is 1,75,517 tonne more than the corresponding day of last marketing season.

Coutesy - Press Information Bureau

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State Food Secretaries Reviews Procurement Arrangements

noreply@blogger.com (Oglacs) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:45:00 +0000

A meeting of State Food Secretaries of wheat procuring States was held on the 21^st February 2012 under the chairmanship of Union Food Secretary, Dr. B.C. Gupta to review procurement arrangements for the forthcoming Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2012-13 in different States.

The estimated procurement during RMS 2-12-13 as intimated by the States is 318.9 lakh MTs as compared to 283.34 lakh MT of actual procurement during RMS 2011-12. The meeting discussed State-wise estimates of procurement. Madhya Pradesh has indicated a record estimate of 65 lakh tonnes of procurement for RMS 2012-13.

The period for procurement of wheat during RMS 2012-13 is between 1st April to 30th June, 2012 for majority of States except Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat where it will start on 15th March. In Bihar and Jammu & Kashmit, the procurement will start from 15th April, 2012.

Arrangements for wheat procurement discussed during the meeting include number of purchase centers to be opened in each State, MSP payment arrangements, as possible as through account payee cheques or bank transfers direct to the farmers, quality control measures, storage and movement of foodgrains etc. States assured that they are fully gear up to make record procurement this time and they are in process of setting up control room to monitor it.

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State Food Ministers Meet Resolved to Modernize the PDS

noreply@blogger.com (Oglacs) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:57:00 +0000

The Government is considering a Special Purpose Vehicle for transportation of foodgrains from procuring states to consuming states and GPS tracking system to monitoring the movement of foodgrains. Briefing the media persons after the conclusion of two days’ Conference of State Food and Agriculture Ministers here today, Minister of Consumer Affairs & Food and Public Distribution, Prof. K V.Thomas said that States have resolved to modernize the Public Distribution System and create modern storage facilities.

Prof. Thomas said that during deliberations, it was reported by some of the States that there would be massive savings in foodgrains and subsidy amount if biometric-based bar-coded ration cards are issued to the beneficiaries. The intention was to ensure that the fruits of subsidy reach the poor and needy sections of the society and the PDS is streamlined / modernized with the help of modern techniques of Information Technology. It was stated that a Plan Scheme had already been drafted and sent to the Planning Commission for giving financial assistance to the States to computerize the PDS.

He said that the Conference also resolved to create modern storage facilities including 2 MMT of storage in the shape of silos. The States were strongly urged to provide lands for setting up silos and take advantage of the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme of the Government of India.

The purpose of the conference was to provide a common platform to all the key decision makers involved in Food and Public Distribution System of India, from Centre and States / UTs to discuss and debate the various issues in modernizing the TPDS, to arrive at an action plan to be implemented by the various agencies and also to set timelines for completion of the same.

Minister of Consumer Affairs & Food and Public Distribution pointed out that this is the time to act given the huge subsidy of 60-80% on the price of foodgrains. Hence, it is the moral responsibility of all those involved to ensure that it reaches the true beneficiaries at the right time. He complimented the FCI for reducing storage losses from 2.5% to 0.1% through modernization of godowns. He requested all the States to prepare a 5-year prospective plan to create intermediate storage capacity at the district, block, Gram Panchayat and fair price shop level by leveraging existing schemes, both at the Central and State level.

During the deliberations, the Chairman UIDAI expounded on the tremendous possibilities that the Aadhar Scheme held for modernization of TPDS. He also spoke on the recommendation of the task force on reform of PDS and the PDS Network (PDSN).

In the Interactive sessions spread over two days, all the States and Union Territories made their presentation highlighting the issues faced by them and also giving their valuable suggestions for the smooth functioning of the TPDS and storage initiatives. Further, the States elaborated their plans in the direction of achieving transparency, modernization through latest technology and the progress made in the creation of storage. Many States provided details of the best practices evolved by them for improving the efficiency of TPDS, such as the use of coupons, SMS, bar-codes, biometric identification, smart cards, GPS enabled vehicles, etc.

North Eastern States were vocal in their demand for increased financial assistance to meet their transportation cost and to improve their transportation infrastructure. Many of the smaller States asked FCI to procure in their States until such time that they set up their own procurement infrastructure and institutions. Similarly hilly States and NE States also wanted maintenance of 3-4 months buffer stocks at district level as transportation is severely affected during winter and monsoon.

The Conference was attended by Food and Agriculture Ministers from 20 different States / UTs. The Union Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee was the Chief Guest. The Agriculture Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar, Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Shri Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, UIDAI and Shri Ajit Seth, Cabinet Secretary were some of the important participants in the Conference.

Source - Press Information Bureau Website Dated 9th Feb 2012

National Food Security Bill, a Historic Initiative by Central Government

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:22:00 +0000

National Food Security Bill, a historic initiative by Central Government Puducherry, February 11, 2012 Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Prof. K.V. Thomas, said that the National Food Security Bill is a historic initiative by the government of India and marks a paradigm shift in food security from welfare to a rights-based approach. This Bill is perhaps the only legislation of its kind in the world, says the Minister.

Prof. K.V. Thomas was addressing the All-India Editors’ Conference on Social Sector Issues (ECSSI) in Puducherry on the 11^th Feb 2012. According to Food Minister, the NFSB seeks to address the issue of food security in a comprehensive manner by adopting a life cycle approach. Prof. Thomas clarified that the additional financial implication of the NFSB is not going to be large. With the current coverage and entitlement and also taking into account estimated allocations under other welfare schemes, the food subsidy for 2012-13 is expected to be about Rs.88997 crore. However, if we were to just update the coverage under TPDS (Targetted Public Distribution System) using 2011 census, the subsidy will be Rs.109795 crore. In comparison, the estimated subsidy requirement under NFSB is Rs.1,12,205 crore, i.e., an additional amount of Rs.2410 crore.

Prof. Thomas said that the perception of some states about the coverage under TPDS provide in the bill being restrictive and which will come in the way of universal PDS for a much higher coverage being implemented by them is misplaced. The Bill only specifies the minimum entitlement under TPDS and places obligations on central and state governments to fulfill them once the Act comes into force. He said that the apprehensions in some States about their food grain allocations under NFSB getting reduced is premature. The issue of state-wise coverage, corresponding the all-India coverage specified in the Bill, is yet to be decided.

National Consumer Helpline Records 13,295 Calls in December 2011

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:55:00 +0000

The National Consumer Helpline (NCH) received 13,295 calls during December 2011. In addition to these telephonic calls/complaints, 467 complaints were also received through online complaint system on NCH website.

The maximum calls were received from Delhi followed by Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, Bihar, Gujarat, ,Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

Break-up of calls in respect of top five States during December 2011 is as under:

Sl. No.	State	Complaints	Total Calls %age
1	Delhi	3128	23.53
2	Uttar Pradesh	1890	14.22
3	Maharashtra	1794	13.49
4	Haryana	1135	8.54
5	Rajasthan	944	7.1
6	Bihar	742	5.58
7	Gujarat	675	5.08
8	West Bengal	484	3.64
9	Madhya Pradesh	432	3.25
10	Karnataka	354	2.66

The ‘Telecom’ sector recorded maximum complaints i.e. 14.64. It was followed by products ‘LPG’ ‘Banking’ ‘Public Distribution System’ and ‘Insurance’.

As per feedback received from 1109 callers, 1064 complaints were resolved under convergence with various companies.

Consumers from across the country can access the toll free National Consumer Help Line No. 1800-11-400 and seek telephonic counseling for consumer related problems faced by them. The Consumer Helpline also provides information, advice and guidance related to consumer issues. Complaints can be registered also on the website: www.nationalconsumerhelpline.in.

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Prices of Pulses Register Decline

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Retail prices of Gram dal, Tur dal and Moong dal registered decline during the week ending on January 12, 2012. According to data monitored and released by the Department of Consumer Affairs. Prices of most of the pulses declined at most the retail centers while at some centers these were steady. Prices of onion and tomato also register a fall at most of the centers.

According to Ministry of Consumer Affair, Food & Public Distribution, prices of Rice, Wheat, Aata, Milk, Groundnut Oil, Vanaspati and Potato remained steady during the week while marginal increase was seen in the price of Mustard Oil & Gur.

Prices of the Sugar during the week remained steady at all the reporting centres. Infact at five centres - Delhi, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Mumbai and Tiruchapalli, there was a decrease in the prices of sugar.

Source - Press Information Bureau Website

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151 Lakh tonnes Additional Foodgrain Storage to be Created in 19 States

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:02:00 +0000

To create additional allocation of foodgrains and to reduce storage under Cover and Plinth (CAP), the Government formulated a Scheme for construction of storage godowns through private entrepreneurs, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and State Warehousing Corporations (SWCs). Under the scheme, the Food Corporation of India would now give a guarantee of ten years for assured hiring to the private entrepreneurs. A capacity of about 151 lakh tonnes is to be created under the scheme in 19 states. Out of this as on 15.10.2011 tenders have been finalized for creation of storage capacity of 69 lakh tonnes by the private entrepreneurs. Details of the storage capacities alloted to the states is as under-

Sl. No.	Agency	Total Capacity Approved (MT)
1	Andhra Pradesh	451000
2	Bihar	300000
3	Chattisgarh (DCP)	222000
4	Gujarat	80000
5	Haryana	3880000
6	Himachal Pradesh	142550
7	Jammu and Kashmir	361690
8	Jharkhand	175000
9	Karnataka	416500
10	Madhya Pradesh (DCP)	360000
11	Kerala	15000
12	Maharashtra	655500
13	Odisha (DCP)	300000
14	Punjab	5125000
15	Rajasthan	250000
16	Tamil Nadu	345000
17	Uttarakhand	25000
18	Uttar Pradesh	1,860000
19	West Bengal (DCP)	156000
	Total	15120840

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Amendments Proposed in Consumer Protection ACT to Facilitate Faster Disposal of Cases

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:33:00 +0000

4^th January 2012: The Government has introduced Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2011, in Lok Sabha on December 16, 2011, to facilitate quicker disposal of cases and to widen and amplify the scope of some of the provisions of the Act.

The enactment of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, was an important milestone in the field of consumer protection. In terms of the Act, consumer disputes redressal agencies have been set up at the 629 District, 35 State and National levels to render simple, inexpensive and speedy justice to consumers in respect of complaints against defective goods, deficient services and unfair/restrictive trade practices. With a view to faster redressal of complaints and to rationalize procedure of appointments in consumer disputes redressal agencies, it has been felt necessary to amend the Act.

Amendments proposed provide for the following-

On line filing of consumer complaints

Making provision for registering complaint by electronic form (on line filing complaint)- Since the Consumer Forums are being computerized it is proposed to make provision in the law to permit consumers to file complaints as well as pay fee online, which would make the consumer for a move towards e-governance/ time bound redressal.

Enforcement of orders as a Decree of Civil Court

Making provision that an order of the District Forum / State Commission/ National Commission will be enforced as a Decree of a Civil Court- This modification is considered essential in view of the experiences gained during implementation of the amended Act and is intended to deter willful offenders and also to ensure speedy and proper execution of the order of the consumer forums, so that justice to the aggrieved consumers is not frustrated.

Payment to be made for non-compliance of the order

Making provision for payment by every person for not complying of the order of District Forum / State Commission / National Commission of an amount of not less than Rs.500 or 1½ per cent of the value of the amount awarded- whichever is higher, for each day of delay of such non-compliance of the order. This modification is considered essential in view of the experiences gained during implementation of the amended Act and is intended to deter willful offenders and also to ensure speedy and proper execution of the orders of the consumer forums, so that justice to the aggrieved consumers is not frustrated.

Powers to District Forum

Empowering District Forum to function in any other place apart from District HQrs, in consultation with State Government / State Commission - This provision is considered necessary to allow State Governments the flexibility to club neighboring Districts Forum as also give additional charge to President/Members to hear cases in more than one District Forum so as to effectively deal with the non-functionality of Districts Forum caused due to vacancy of President/Member.

Conferring powers to District Forum to issue order to the opposite party to pay reasonable rate of interest on such price or charges as may be decided by the District Forum- This provision is considered necessary to empower the consumer forum to award interest where the consumer has suffered due to protracted litigation.

Powers to State Government in selection process

Empowering State Government to refer back the recommendation of the Selection Committee for making fresh recommendation in order to avoid any delay in the Selection process- This is felt necessary to facilitate quicker filling up of the posts in the Consumer Forums and to avoid the consumer Forum remaining non-functional for long due to such vacancy thereby adversely affecting consumers’ interest.

Increase of age in the appointment

Increasing the minimum age for appointment as Member in the case of State Commissions from 35 to 45 years, and in case of National Commission from 35 to 55 years- This is proposed to improve the quality of persons applying for these posts.

Experience for members

Increasing the period of experience for appointment as Member in the case of State Commission from 10 years to 20 years and in the case of National Commission from 10 years to 30 years-This is proposed in order to improve the quality of persons applying for these posts.

Powers to National Commission / State Commission to direct any one to assist the case

Conferring powers to National Commission / State Commission to direct any individual or organization or expert to assist National Commission / State Commission in the cases of large interest of the consumers- This provision would enable the National Commission or the State Commission, in cases involving the larger interests of the consumers, an opportunity to suo moto enlist the services of an expert or an outside party, in an ongoing case, in the interest of justice.

Monitoring system of pending cases

Conferring powers to Central Government to call upon periodical reports of pending cases from National Commission and to State Government from State Commission or any District Forum- The provision is considered necessary to enable easy availability of data regarding filing and disposal of consumer complaints, which would help in monitoring the functioning of the consumer for a and effectiveness of the law.

The above said amendments proposed in the Act will go a long way in speedy redressal of Consumer grievances and sturdy protection of Consumer rights.

*Source – Press Information Bureau Website.

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Buffer Stocks

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:09:00 +0000

The stock position of food grains in the Central Pool as on 1.12.2011 was 547.19 lakh tons comprising of 270.63 lakh tons of rice and 276.56 lakh tons of wheat. The buffer stocks norms have been maintained for rice and wheat for the entire Central Pool stocks on a quarterly basis.

The current stocks of food grains in the Central Pool are quite adequate to meet the food grain requirements of the country as per existing allocations for TPDS and Other Welfare schemes. The Government has been intensifying procurement operations and more States are encouraged to make decentralized procurement. Government has been reviewing the Minimum Support Price for food grains from time to time to encourage farmers to produce more. As a result, procurement during the last four years has recorded considerable increase from 36.24 million tons in 2006-07 to 62.34 million tons in 2010-11. Further, to augment scientific storage capacities, Government has formulated a Scheme for construction of storage go-downs through private entrepreneurs, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and State Warehousing Corporations (SWCs). Under the scheme, capacity of about 151 lakh tons is to be created in 19 States through private entrepreneurs and CWC and SWCs. 5.4 and 14.4 lakh tons storage capacities respectively are being constructed by CWC and SWCs under the Scheme. Out of the above, a capacity of about 4 lakh tons has already been completed by CWC/SWCs.

The Government has made allocation of a quantity of 612.07 lakh tons of rice and wheat under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and Other Welfare Schemes (OWS) during the current year, thus making substantial quantity of food grains available through the Public Distribution System at subsidized prices. This includes additional allocation of 50 lakh tons of food grains to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families at BPL prices in May 2011 and 50 lakh tons to Above Poverty Line (APL) families at APL prices in June 2011. In addition to the above, 23.67 lakh tons of food grains have been allocated at Antyodaya Anna Yojana(AAY) and BPL prices to 27 States for distribution in 174 poorest/backward districts.

This information was given by the Minister of State (independent charge) for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Prof. K.V. Thomas in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on the 20^th December 2011.

Source: Press Information Bureau Website.

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Beneficiaries Entitled for 10 Kilograms Foodgrains per Month

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:47:00 +0000

Under Annapurna Scheme food grains are provided through State Governments/Union Territory (UT) Administrations to indigent senior citizens of 65 years of age or above who are not getting old age pension under the National Old Age Pension Scheme(NOAPS). Food grains are provided at 10 kg per person per month free of cost to the beneficiaries.

Food grains are allocated under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) to certain identified priority groups at highly subsidized prices of Rs. 3/- per kg of rice and Rs.2/- per kg of wheat under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY). Destitutes are among those priority groups covered under AAY. Food grains are allocated to 2.34 crore AAY families in the country.

This information was given by the Minister of State (independent charge) for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Prof. K.V. Thomas in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

Source: Press Information Bureau Website. For more visit PDS Gaya's website.

Rice Procurement Crosses 10 million Mark

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:16:00 +0000

Rice procurement in the Kharif Marketing season 2011-12 (October-September) has crossed the 10 million mark. According to statistics, 10,104,088 Mts. rice has been procured by November 17, 2011 by various government agencies during the current Kharif season.

Punjab has led the States by procuring 7,604,255 Mts. followed by Haryana 1,930,703 Mts., Tamil Nadu 239,051 and Uttar Pradesh 114,903 Mts.

Source – Press Information Bureau website released under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

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Rice Procurement of Kharif 2011-12 Crosses 341 Lakh Tonnes

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 09:50:00 +0000

Rice procurement in the Kharif Marketing Season of 2011-12 (October-September) has also started in some of the states while procurement for last season is still going on in some states. In the season of 2011-12, a total of 90, 46,356 tonne of rice has been procured by the various government agencies by November 04, 2011.

So far highest procurement has been made in Punjab – 69, 56,290 tonne, followed by Haryana – 18, 09,194 tonne and Tamilnadu -1,76,486 of rice.

Rice procurement in the Kharif Marketing season 2010-11 (October-September) has crossed the mark of 341 lakh tonne. According to statistics 341,78,963 tonne rice has been procured by the various government agencies by November 04, 2011.

Andhra Pradesh has led the States by procuring 96,10,417 tonne of rice followed by Punjab – 86,34,553 tonne, Chhatisgarh – 37,40,776 tonne, Uttar Pradesh – 25,53,687 tonne, Orissa – 24,64,285 tonne and Haryana with 16,87,343 tonne of rice.

This Public Distribution related news is according to a release available on Press Information Bureau's Website.

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Indonesian Delegation Meets Food Minister

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:11:00 +0000

A delegation of Indonesian National Logistic Agency led by its Chairman,Mr Sutarto Alimoeso, called on Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Prof. K.V.Thomas here today. The delegation has come to explore possibility of import of rice from India. During the meeting, the delegation discussed latest trends in the foodgrain production and increasing requirement of various food commodities. Mr. Alimoeso said that due to shortfall of rice production in Indonesia, there is a need to import rice in his country. India, one of the major producer of rice can fulfill the requirement. The delegation also discussed edible oil requirement of India and its import to India from Indonesia.

Prof. Thomas appraised the delegation of the Public Distribution System or PDS in India and foodgrain productions and management. He said India at the moment has enough foodgrain stock and may consider request of Indonesia. Senior officials of the Ministry of Food and Food Corporation of India were also present during the meeting.

Source – News release from Press Information Bureau GOI website dated 2nd November 2011

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Food And Public Distribution – Sugar Quota

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:05:00 +0000

The Central Government has decided to make available 19.15 lac tons of sugar (levy sugar 2.14 lac tons and non-levy sugar 17.01 lac tons) for the month of November, 2011 as given below:-

Sl. No.	Particulars	Quantity (In Lac Tons)
1	Levy Sugar quota – A	2.14
2	Non-levy sugar quota
	a. Normal quota	17
	b. Availability out of white/refined sugar processed out of imported raw sugar during the month of September, 2011	0.01
	Total non-levy quota - B	17.01
3	Total (A+B)	19.15

This quantity of 19.15 lac tons is sufficient to meet the internal demand of sugar for the month of November, 2011.

The sugar factory shall sell/deliver and dispatch the entire non-levy quantity released for the month of November, 2011 as above only within the validity period of the release order i.e. upto 30.11.2011.

Source – Press Information Bureau, GOI website.

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Operational Report Released By FCI

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:39:00 +0000

Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri K.V. Thomas today released Operational Report of FCI for the year 2010-11. It is first report of its kind since inception of FCI (Food Corporation of India) in 1965. The statistical information contained in this report is based on operational data of FCI.

Releasing the report, the Minister said the report is an initiative to bring more transparency in the working of FCI. He said that the report would serve as a single repository of information, which is handy at the same time comprehensive, highlighting the metro level operational data. He said efforts are being made to modernize the storage of foodgrains by adopting latest technology. Efforts are also being made to increase the storage capacity of FCI, which has been increased by 27.74 lakh tones during 2010-11.

According the report, FCI recorded an increase of 10% in the total movements of foodgrains during 2010-11 over last year. Movements to north-eastern region increased about 19%. During the year the FCI made record procurement and record allocations of foodgrains.

The Operational Report contained in eight chapters gives statistical data of stock, storage capacity, distribution & procurement.

This is according to a 21st October 2011 press released available on the website, Press Information Bureau. For other Public Distribution System Related information, visit PDS Gaya's website.

More Indian Standards To Be Harmonized With International Standards

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:28:00 +0000

Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Prof. K.V. Thomas has said that Indian Standards, wherever feasible, should be. It will help our industry to compete globally. Prof. Thomas was addressing a seminar on the occasion of celebrations of World Standards Day here today (14^th October 2011). He asked the Bureau of Indian Standards(BIS) to take periodic review and up gradation of Indian Standards, keeping in view consumer needs, health and safety aspects, environmental protection and the latest technological developments.

Highlighting the need of adopting International Standards, the Minister said that these Standards give manufacturers confidence to reach out to the global markets with the knowledge that their products will perform globally and users can obtain same services, wherever they travel. International Standards also promote the transfer of new technologies by facilitating market access for innovative solutions and by providing confidence to the users. Purchasing products or services complying with international standards assures the consumers that they can rely on the same and thereby makes their investments more secure, he added

The minister said that today, India is an important player in the global market. It is therefore important that, where exports are concerned, we make all efforts in adhering to the national/international standards and quality requirements so that our national image and commercial interests are enhanced and protected overseas. In the present era of the WTO, the national standards play a vital role. Further, as per WTO TBT agreement, to which India is also a signatory, the technical regulations are normally required to be based on international standards. Prof. Thomas urged the manufacturers and exporters to comply fully to the prescribed standards and regulations so that the international consumers and community have confidence in Indian manufactured goods and products,

The minister said that all the standardization efforts require active involvement of consumers. He expressed the hope that the BIS is conscious of its role in protecting consumer interests with the representation consumer bodies in its various Advisory and technical committees.

On the occasion, it was informed that BIS is formulating Indian Standards in line with the national priorities in a time bound manner. It has formulated over 18,600 Indian standards on diverse subjects, ranging from food, chemicals, engineering, textiles, to high technological areas of electronics. These standards are formulated through a network of technical committees comprising different stakeholders like representatives from industry, research and development organizations, consumers, testing and lab experts, government etc.

(Source – Press Information Bureau website)

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CWC Pays Record Dividend

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:52:00 +0000

The Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) achieved yet another record turnover of Rs.1030 crore during 2010-11 as against `988 crore achieved during the preceding year. Shri. B.B. Pattanaik, Managing Director, CWC presented a dividend cheque of `14.97 crore to Prof. K.V. Thomas, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution today (13th October 2011).

Congratulating CWC for its commendable performance, the Minister urged CWC to modernize its storage infrastructure and introduce mechanized handling of stocks at its warehouses.

CWC achieved highest ever Profit Before Tax (PBT) of `203.73 crore as against `163.88 crore during 2010-11, registering a growth of 24.32%.This could be possible due to addition of constructed storage capacity by 1.45 lakh MT and increase in overall capacity utilization (occupancy) to 88% as against 85% achieved during previous year. Keeping in view the national priority for safe preservation of food grains procured for Central Pool, utilization of capacity for storage of food grains was given adequate attention which increased from 48% during 2009-10 to 54% in 2010-11. CWC registered 10% growth in handling of 12.32 lakh TEUs during 2010-11 as against 11.21 lakh TEUs handled during 2009-10 and 6.4% increase in revenue earned out of Container Rail Transport operations and income under Pest Control activities also registered a growth of 12.66%.

Keeping in view the excellent financial results, CWC has declared highest ever dividend for the year 2010-11 @ 40%.

During the current financial year, CWC plans to construct storage capacity of about 2.09 lakh MT with a financial outlay of `78 crore in 11 States mainly for storage of food grains and construct Multi-Storeyed Warehouses in the Metro cities. CWC also plans to commence operations of Private Freight Terminals at its rail-based facilities at Bamanheri (UP) and Nabha (Punjab) besides setting up of Land Custom Station at Ghojadanga (West Bengal).

(Source – Press Information Bureau)

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Government Committed to Provide Assured Food Security to All Citizens

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:26:00 +0000

Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Prof. K.V Thomas has said that the Government is committed to enactment of the National Food Security Act to provide a statutory framework for assured food security to all. Addressing the Inaugural Session of a seminar organized by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) here today (12^th October 2011), the Minister said that the proposed legislation would be a paradigm shift in approach towards food security - from welfare based to rights based approach, involving legal obligation on the Government to deliver food entitlements. It will be a comprehensive effort, adopting a life-cycle approach, in providing food and nutritional security to people, with special emphasis on vulnerable groups (For example, people belonging to Below Poverty Line).

Highlighting the priority of the Government to provide food security to all, Prof. Thomas said that the draft Bill proposes to provide right to receive food grains at subsidized prices under the Targeted Public Distribution System by persons belonging to priority households and general households. It proposes coverage of up to 75% of the total rural population, with at least 46% population belonging to priority households and up to 50% of the total urban population, with at least 28% population belonging to priority households. Each person in priority households would be entitled to 7 kg food grains per month at a price of not exceeding `3 `2 or `1 per kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains and 3 kg per person per month at a price of not exceeding 50% of the minimum support price for wheat and coarse grains and derived minimum support price for rice in general households.

The Food Minister said that the Bill also contains provisions for Nutritional support to pregnant women, lactating mothers and children, entitlements of special groups such as destitute persons, homeless and such other needy persons, emergency and disaster affected persons, persons living in starvation, etc.

He said, “The Central Govt. has held wide ranging consultations with various stakeholders, including State Governments and UT Administrations regarding the proposed Food Security legislation. Based on these consultations and comments/recommendations received, we have recently prepared a draft National Food Security Bill and the same has been placed on the website of the Ministry for comments/suggestions. The Bill is likely to be introduced in the Parliament shortly after taking into account the comments received from stakeholders and after appropriate consultations.”

Prof. Thomas said that implementation of the legislation which will place a major demand on agricultural production and related infrastructure is no doubt, going to be a challenging task. It would involve enhanced production of food grains, higher procurement, creation of additional storage facilities, rail-road infrastructure for movement of food grains and a streamlined distribution network. Based on the provisions of the draft Bill, the requirement of food grains for TPDS, Other Welfare Schemes (OWS) and natural calamities is estimated at about 61 million tons.

In order to cover a large section of rural as well as urban population, as envisaged in the proposed National Food Security Act, it is necessary to have sufficient stocks of food grains in the Central Pool for distribution. To meet the increased requirement of food grains, R&D efforts need to be intensified to ensure better yield from the available agricultural land. Development of modern farming technologies, high-yield varieties of seeds, efficient irrigation techniques are required to attain higher food grain production. The minister expressed confidence that Institutions like ICAR and IRRI are quite capable in meeting the challenges of research and development in the field of agriculture to ensure sustained implementation of the proposed legislation.

Government, NGOs, Research Institutions and other stakeholders must work together to make this momentous legislation a success so that the intended benefits reach the targeted beneficiaries, the minister added.

This is according to a news release available on the Press Information Bureau website. For more information related to Public Distribution System, visit PDS Gaya Website at www.pdsonline.in

Reaching PDS Gaya

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 06:54:00 +0000

PDS Gaya started assisting consumers through telephone helpline, email and web-based customer feedback. This is step taken up to ensure proper function of the public distribution system in the city.

The Nation Consumer Helpline hit record high number of calls this July and likewise, PDS Gaya's Helpline is also expecting increasing number of calls each passing time.

As per the NCH website, maximum calls were received from Delhi followed by Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Break-up of calls in respect of top five States during March 2011 is as under:

S. No.	State	Complaints	% age of total calls
1	Delhi	4577	39.32
2	Maharashtra	1414	12.15
3	Uttar Pradesh	1364	11.72
4	Haryana	857	7.36
5	Rajasthan	598	5.14

The ‘Product’ sector contributed 11% of the total calls/complaints followed by Telecom, ‘Banking’ ‘LPG’, ‘and ‘Insurance’ registering between 10% -2 % complaints.

As per feedback received from 703 callers, 640 complaints were resolved under convergence with various companies.

Consumers from across the country can access the toll free National Consumer Help Line 1800-11-400 and seek telephonic counseling for consumer related problems faced by them. The Consumer Helpline also provides information, advice and guidance related to consumer issues. Complaints can be registered also on the website www.nationalconsumerhelpline.in

The above has been cited to let people know how online and telephonic feedback of customers can be helpful in making them satisfied with services and products provided to them. Therefore, we encourage people to feel free to contact PDS Gaya's consumer helpline at +916312220903. One can also email at complaints@gayapds.bih.nic.in citing the reason of the complaint. PDS Gaya helpline will also provide information, advice and guidance related to Public Distribution System issues. Complaints can also be registered on the PDS Gaya website.

(With inputs from Press Information Bureau, GOI)

Antyodaya Anna Yojana

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:24:00 +0000

Antyodaya Scheme is launched by the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India on the 25^th of December 2000 (then Atal Bihari Vajpayee). The objective of the scheme would be to create a hunger free India and to bring about positive changes in the Public Distribution System throughout the country.

Utmost priority is given to poorest of poor families both in rural and urban areas of the country. This is the reflection of the Government's struggle to eliminate hunger from the face of it's citizens (it is sad that most of us fail to understand and make use of this scheme in the wrong way). This scheme is for those people who are unable to acquire 2 square meals a day. The number of such families is estimated to be over 5% of the whole country's population.

Those families entitled for this scheme will be provided 35 Kg of Food-grains per month. Food-grains i.e. rice and wheat will be provided by the Government of India at the rate of `3 per Kg. and `2 per Kg. respectively (rates however will be subjected to change as per time).

PDS Gaya understands this and will be trying whatever we can to satisfy our people.

To know more on who are eligible for the scheme, visit back later or visit PDS Gaya official website.

AAY Ration Cards In Brief

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 11:35:00 +0000

Public Distribution System Gaya, makes most PDS related information available on its site. Today's post is about Antyodaya Scheme's Ration Card with which poorest of poor families can get daily commodities in a really low rate. Below is provided a brief information about the Antyodaya Ration Card.

Issue Of Antyodaya Ration Cards

The designated authority issues the ration cards known as “Antyodaya Ration Card” to the Antyodaya families after identification. Each ration card has necessary details about the Antyodaya family and the scale of ration.

How and Where to apply?

This scheme is for the poorest of poor families. Therefore, families hence included in this category should apply for the scheme as provided below.

For rural areas. applicants will have to apply on a plain paper with details of every family member and their income to the Panchayat Pradhan of their area. The Gram Sabha will decide whether the family is eligible for the scheme or not. If approved by the Gram Sabha, the family will be further approved by the Department of Rural Development, Bihar (in case of Bihar) and the ration card will be issued by the Pradhan/DFSC or after the approval of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department.

For urban areas, applicant will have to apply for the scheme on plain paper to the Notified Area Committee. List of selected families will be further approved by the Urban Development Department and the ration card will be issued by the concerned DFSC/Authorized Inspector of a particular area.

Documents Needed For Application

1. Certificate stating that the application is or was not holding any ration card. Affidavit supporting that the applicant didn't hold any ration card previously must be submitted.

2. Income certificate of the family issued by the concerned Patwari.

No form is needed to be filled nor fees will be charged for the application.

The information is taken from PDS Gaya website, visit the site for more schemes information.

Public Distribution System - Wheat and Rice Stock Over 640 lakh Tonnes

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Foodgrains stock in the country with the Government procurement agencies as on 1st July, 2011was 640.06 lakh tonnes comprising 268.57 lakh tonnes of rice and 371.49 tonnes of wheat.

The procurement of rice as on July 1, 2011 (KMS 2010-11) was 316.07 lakh tonnes as against 297.47 lakh tonnes procured last kharif season. Wheat procurement for Ravi Marketing Season 2011-12 was 278.38 lakh tonnes as against 224.72 lakh tonnes procured last in season.

The off take of rice in all schemes, during June, 2011, has been 28.10 lakh tonnes. This comprises 19.04 lakh tonnes under TPDS and 9.06 lakh tonnes under other schemes. The total off take of wheat has been 20.59 lakh tonnes comprising of 14.74 lakh tonnes under TPDS and 5.85 lakh tonnes under other schemes.

The total allotment of rice during June, 2011, under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) including BPL (Below Poverty Line), APL (Above Poverty Li ne)and AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana) was 22.02 lakh tonnes, against which the total offtake was 19.04 lakh tonnes, representing an overall percentage offtake of 86.5 percent. The BPL allotment of rice was 9.68 lakh tonnes, against which the offtake was 9.65 lakh tonnes, representing percentage off take 99.7 per cent.

In respect of AAY the allotment during the month was 5.75 lakh tonnes, against which the off take was 5.55 lakh tonnes, which represents 99.6 percent off take. The total allotment of wheat under TPDS including BPL, APL and AAY was 19.54 lakh tonnes, against which the total off take was 14.74 lakh tonnes, representing an overall percentage 75.4 percent off take. The BPL allotment of wheat was 4.85 lakh tonnes, against which the off take was 5.41 lakh tonnes representing an off take of 111.6 per cent. In respect of AAY, the allotment was 2.79 lakh tonnes, against which the off take was 2.74 lakh tonnes, which represents 98.1 percent off take.

Source – Press Information Bureau

Visit PDS Gaya's blog for more PDS news.

Prof Thomas Reviews Public Distribution System in NE

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 06:42:00 +0000

Unlike the Public Distribution System in Gaya, PDS in the Northeastern part of the country is not properly functional. It is true that the above statement is not true for all states but there are some where people are unable to make good use of the system.

This is not in a way related to PDS Gaya but we placed this news in front of you to let you know what other states and districts are going through. Keeping in view the situation of the Public Distribution System in the Northeastern states, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Prof K.V. Thomas, chaired a meeting of Food Ministers and Food Secretaries of North Eastern States at Guwahati on the 29^th of September 2011 with particular reference to availability of foodgrains and augmenting the storage facilities in the region.

Shri Neiphiu Rio, Chief Minster, Nagaland, Dr. Nazrul Islam, Minister Food and Civil Supplies, Assam and Shri Nilamoni Sen Deka, Minister of Agriculture, Assam and Sh. H. Rolhuna Minister Food and Civil Supplies, Mizoram were present in the meeting while other states were represented by senior officials in charge of the Departments.

Union Food Secretary, Dr B C Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of Food Corporation Of India (FCI) Shri Siraj Hussain, MD of Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), Shri B B Patnayak, were also present in the meeting.

Prof. Thomas, in his opening remarks said that the meeting was part of the Ministry’s ongoing interaction with the States and referred to the four Regional Meetings that he had convened in the month of February and the subsequent meetings with the Food Ministers and Food Secretaries of producing and consuming States held in July this year, ‘Since the problems faced by the North Eastern States are somewhat different from other states, I thought to have a separate meeting for NE States, as this Region is the corner-stone of Government of India’s Look East Policy’ he said. He also said that the Government of India has taken up various schemes for all round development of this region having abundant natural resources.

The Minister said that the focus of the Government of India has been to ensure availability of foodgrains at reasonable prices especially to the weaker and vulnerable sections of the society. The Government is determined to enact the National Food Security Act which will provide a statutory basis for a framework which assures food security for all and entitles every family below the poverty line to certain quantities of foodgrains at subsidized prices. The Minister said that the draft Bill has been placed on the website of the Department inviting suggestions from all stake holders by 30th September and requested all the State Governments to send their comments immediately, if not already sent. The legislation will also be used to bring about broader systemic reforms in the Public Distribution System, he said.

Regarding the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), launched in June, 1997, he said that it has played an important role in making available foodgrains at subsidized prices to the poor and vulnerable sections in this country. In this regard, he emphasized that the performance of PDS was the joint responsibility of the Government of India and respective state governments and called upon the states to plug loopholes in PDS and ensure that leakages are brought to the lowest minimum and ensure that grain reaches to its real deserving consumer by appropriate and innovative use of the available technology and better computerization.

Regarding allocation of Foodgrains to the North eastern States, he said that the Government of India has made substantial allocation of foodgrains during last year as well as in the current year for distribution to TPDS beneficiaries. While allocations of foodgrains for BPL families are made @35kg per family per month, and for APL families, the allocations differ from 15kg to 35kg in various States, he said that for all North Eastern States, the monthly APL allocation is also made @35kg per family as a special case. During the current year, an additional allocation of 10 million tons of rice and wheat for BPL and APL families have been made at subsidized BPL and APL prices, and requested the states to ensure that the timely lifting of foodgrains.

On the important issue of Storage facilities in the North Eastern States, the Minister said that a proposal for construction of storage godowns, totaling 5.4 lakh tonnes of capacity at a total estimated cost of Rs.568 crore has been approved by the Department, in addition to a special provision of 24 crores to be given as grant for the construction of intermediary godowns by the state Government. The Planning Commission had supported the proposed augmentation of storage capacity in the North East. In the proposal there were 8 ongoing projects and 39 new projects were identified and requested the State Governments to give all possible assistance to the FCI for identifying the lands for construction of godowns.

The state Governments on their part said that due to constraints on railway movement, (closure of transshipment at Rangia) and provisioning of insufficient Rakes, sufficient stakes are not available, sometime, in the region. Minister said that al efforts are being made by the Government of India and FCI to increase movement including road movement to ensure timely availability of sufficient stocks.

Concern was also expressed by some states on the availability of sugar in their states. It was informed that a number of rakes have been dispatched from producing States to make available requisite quantities of sugar in this region.

The States also took up the issue of outstanding hill transport subsidy under which dues were pending for them. FCI and States were requested to mutually settle the issue in accordance with existing guidelines of FCI and the Government of India.

Certain issues, specific to individual state governments were also taken up during the meeting, which included the following. Government of Assam was requested to sort land related issue at the earliest at Changsari where 1 lakh capacity of new storage is to be constructed. Similarly, The Government of Assam was also requested to start procurement of Paddy from farmers of the states under the Decentralized Procurement System (DCP) in view of higher production in the States as this could lead to better ensuring of provision of Minimum Support Price to farmers.

The above news has been taken from the Press Information Bureau Website and is posted in our blog to make the people understand what's going on in and around the Public Distribution System of the country. However, to know more about PDS, you may visit PDS Gaya website.

Above Poverty Line Ration Card

noreply@blogger.com (OglacsTeam) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:09:00 +0000

How can someone who lives in Gaya, Bihar get themselves issued an APL Ration Card (Above Poverty Line ration card)?

You may know all about various schemes from PDS Gaya's Website or read on to know about the APL in brief.

The APL ration card is issued to common people but only after the production of application form aided by surrender or deletion certificate obtained from. The later is in case of people migrating to Gaya, Bihar from other state. The above mentioned documents should be accompanied by two group family photographs. After all formalities are completed, the ration card will be delivered to the applicant withing ten to fifteen days of the receipt of the application,

The requirement for an application for the issue of APL ration cards are as below:

An application form duly attested by a Gazetted Officer for urban areas or Village Sarpanch in case of rural areas.
Deletion or surrender certificate obtained from the place the applicant has migrated to Gaya, Bihar.
Two family group photographs.

More on the frequently asked questions related to Public Distribution System. Visit PDS Gaya website.