(a) whether no provision has been made in the budget for the establishment of
food banks in starvaton prone areas in different parts of the country;
(b) if so, the reasons therefor;
(c) whether there is a provision in the minimum food programme to establish
such food banks; and
(d) if so, the steps taken by the Union Government to provide financial assistance
in order to open such food banks in the country?
MINISTER OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS ( SHRI P.R. KYNDIAH)
(a) to (d) There is a provision of Rs. 32.50 crores for Central Sector Scheme of
Establishment of Village Grain Banks in tribal areas for the year 2004-05. There is no
provision of minimum food programme in the Ministry. However, the Ministry has
been implementing the Village Gamin Bank scheme in 13 States such as Andhra
Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur, Orissa,
Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra since 1996-97
with the objectives to take preventive measures against death of children in selected
remote and backward tribal areas as identified by the Central Planning Committee
(CPC). These areas are generally food scarce/starvation prone areas. Besides,
implementing the scheme in identified areas, the States are free to implement the
scheme wherever there is any threat to food scarcity. So far an amount of Rs. 20.50
crores has been released to the States to establish 4858 Village Grain Banks.