New Delhi: A delegation of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MPs met Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal Tuesday and urged him to release the pending food subsidy of around Rs 6,081 crore to Odisha.
The BJD delegation, including the party’s Rajya Sabha leader Prasanna Acharya, submitted a memorandum to Goyal raising the demand for early evacuation of surplus rice from Odisha and resolution of gunny bag shortage issue. The MPs, through the memorandum, told Goyal that paddy/ rice procurement operations under the MSP programme is a task which is in the domain of Centre. However, in order to extend the outreach of MSP to remote and inaccessible areas, the Odisha government in 2003-04 took over the responsibility of procuring paddy from farmers in the state.
As per the MoU signed with the Centre, there has to be zero financial liability on the state government or state procuring agency. The BJD also submitted that the state procuring agency should be paid quarterly provisional subsidy after deduction of the advanced amount. However, the release of advance subsidy to Odisha is irregular, they said.
“Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC), the major procuring agency of the state government, is to receive Rs 5,365.11 crore as provisional subsidy and advance subsidy of Rs 7,16.34 crore. The additional interest incurred because of the delay in release and non-release of subsidy comes to around Rs 4,883.55 crore which should be paid by the Centre,” the BJD stated in memorandum.
The BJD MPs also raised the issue of lifting of surplus rice from Odisha. The delegation submitted that the paddy procurement has been increasing over the years but the evacuation of rice by Food Corporation of India (FCI) has not registered a commensurate and consistent increase. The BJD stated that out of 52.35 lakh MT rice procured till July 6 this year, only 12.50 lakh MT rice has been lifted by the FCI.
“Failure to ensure timely evacuation of surplus rice from the state by FCI has serious implications of choking state’s godowns, preventing timely receipt of rice from millers, and being saddled with unwanted rice for which there will be no takers,” BJD stated in the memorandum.
The BJD MPs also highlighted the shortage of gunny bags. The party stated that as against the requirement of 2.10 lakh gunny bags for the year 2020-21, only 1.37 lakh gunny bags have been received so far, resulting in the deficit of about 73,000 gunny bags.