(a) whether the Government is paying lakhs of rupees as rent to private godown owners across the country, including the States of Karnataka and Gujarat;
(b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
(c) whether the Government has formulated, any comprehensive policy for attaining self-reliance in godown capacity; and
(d) if so, the details thereof, if not, the reasons therefor?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
(a) & (b): The State-wise details of rent paid by Food Corporation of India (FCI) to private godown owners in various States including Karnataka and Gujarat during the year 2017-18 are at Annexure.
(c) & (d): On the basis of peak stock requirement during normal procurement season, the overall storage capacity required for central pool foodgrains in the country is about 650 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT). Against this, the total storage capacity available with Food Corporation of India (FCI), Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and State Agencies (both owned and hired capacity), is 877.37 LMT (as on 31.10.2018) comprising 749.90 LMT in covered godowns and 127.47 LMT in Cover and Plinth (CAP) storage. Thus, on the overall, there is sufficient capacity for storage of foodgrains in the country.
...2/-
...2...
However, depending on requirement in specific areas and for modernization of storage facilities, Government has been implementing the following schemes for construction of godowns and silos in the country for Central Pool Stock of foodgrains:
i. Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee (PEG) Scheme: Under this Scheme, which was formulated in 2008, storage capacity is created by private parties, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and State Government Agencies for guaranteed hiring by Food Corporation of India (FCI). A capacity of 142.02 Lakh MT (LMT) has been created as on 30.11.2018. Under this scheme, no funds are allocated by Government for construction of godowns and full investment is done by the private parties/CWC/State Agencies. After a godown is constructed and taken over by FCI, storage charges are paid to the investor for the guaranteed period of 9/10 years irrespective of the quantum of foodgrains stored.
ii. Central Sector Scheme: This scheme is implemented in the North Eastern States along with Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Kerala. Funds are released by the Government to FCI and also directly to the State Governments for construction of godowns. A total capacity of 1,97,860 MT has been completed by FCI and State Governments during last 5 years from 01.04.2013 up to 30.11.2018.
iii.Construction of Steel Silos: In addition to conventional godowns, construction of steel silos has been undertaken in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode for modernizing storage infrastructure and improving shelf life of stored foodgrains. As on 30.11.2018, a capacity of 11.75 LMT silos has been created.
****
ANNEXURE
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) & (b) OF THE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3236 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 01.01.2019 IN THE LOK SABHA.
The State-wise details of rent paid by Food Corporation of India (FCI) during 2017-18 to private godown owners is as given below:
(figures in Rs Lakh) (prior to audit)
SL
State
Amount
1
Bihar
1,280.73
2
Jharkhand
1,374.04
3
West Bengal (includes Sikkim)
580.87
4
Assam
242.50
5
Mizoram, Meghalaya & Tripura
49.25
6
Arunachal Pradesh
3.86
7
Haryana
27,450.24
8
Himachal Pradesh
216.12
9
Jammu & Kashmir
1,761.31
10
Punjab (includes Chandigarh)
42,353.21
11
Rajasthan
1,130.86
12
Uttar Pradesh
8,966.17
13
Uttarakhand
7.22
14
Andhra Pradesh (includes Andaman & Nicobar Islands)
90.61
15
Kerala
62.62
16
Karnataka
2,024.18
17
Tamil Nadu (includes Puducherry)
1,505.27
18
Telangana
1,081.75
19
Gujarat
134.04
20
Maharashtra (includes Goa)
5,615.23
21
Madhya Pradesh
231.21
22
Chhattisgarh
1,222.17
Total
97,383.46
***