Punjab Tops the List for Transporting Maximum Food Grains during Lockdown

Punjab is on top of the list for transporting maximum food grains across the country to feed the poor during lock down. It has accounted with 46% of the total 16.94 lakh tonnes of food grains across the country. While Haryana with 18%, Telangana with 12% and Chhattisgarh with 7% are the other major states from where food grains were supplied to different parts of the country. 

On Friday and Saturday, a new record was set by Food Corporation of India, the central agency which obtains food grains for government and transports it to states and for the first time in a single day by moving 70 sacks which carried 1.93 lakh tonnes across the country. 

A senior official of Food Corporation of India said that "During the 12 days since start of lock down, Food Corporation of India has carried out average movement of 1.41 lakh tonnes of food grain per day as against the pre-lockdown daily average of about 0.8 lakh tonnes". 

Maximum food grains were transported to:- 

• Uttar Pradesh - 2.07 lakh tonnes.

• Bihar - 1.96 lakh tonnes.

• West Bengal - 1.65 lakh tonnes.

• Karnataka - 1.57 lakh tonnes.

 Food Corporation of India is having 55.47 million tonnes of food grains which includes 31.23 million tonnes rice and 24.24 million tonnes wheat in the central pool. 

 What Government is providing  

• Under PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana government is giving 5 kg of either rice or wheat free for next three months to 810 million poor people.

The official also said that wheat and rice are being provided directly, without going through the e-auction route.