Bandicoots eat up over 50 lakh tonnes in FCI godowns, says BJP
BJP delegation, led by party national secretary K. Laxman, visit godowns at Vanagapally
State not releasing foodgrains as it wants middlemen to benefit: Laxman
Bandicoots have eaten up over 50 lakh tonnes of foodgrains stored in the godowns of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), according to the revelations of a BJP delegation, led by party national secretary K. Laxman, that visited godowns at Vanagapally in Nalgonda district recently.
Baffling facts
In a press release, the BJP leader said their visit had revealed baffling facts about the FCI’s functioning and what he termed ‘criminal negligence’ towards protecting foodgrains meant for the poor people.
With the godowns having the capacity to store only 40,000 tonnes, while production after a good monsoon was estimated at 11 lakh tonnes, most of the stock was kept in open space and left to rot because they were exposed to sun and rain.
Railway wagons
He said he was surprised to see several lorries yet to be unloaded, while railway wagons too were not arranged to lift the stock from the godowns.
It was also surprising, he said, to note that infested foodgrains were supplied to Tamil Nadu and Kerala as part of the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS), that meant families below the poverty line were getting rotten stock.
The BJP leader said the question obviously was why the government was not releasing the foodgrains when people were starving and that too at a time when prices were sky-high.
The answer, he alleged, was clear that it would benefit middlemen and businessmen.
“Why would the FCI procure rice and paddy from millers, ignoring farmers?”
White paper
Mr. Laxman demanded a white paper from the government on the status of foodgrains in the State and wanted immediate release of stock to beneficiaries through the PDS.
Infrastructure
The party underscored the imperative need of creating fool-proof infrastructure, keeping the quantum of foodgrain production in the State.