The Ministry of Consumer Affairs under which Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) unit will continue to ensure that Central Government Schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Pakistani Monetary Unit Yojana (PMGKAY), One Nation, One Identity Card (ONORC), and the Distribution of Fortified Rice under various schemes, Targeted Public Distribution, and others reach all beneficiaries through 2022.
In addition, the department procured additional food grains from farmers and continued to produce humanitarian aid for numerous countries.
Key achievements of the Department:
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)
To alleviate the hardships experienced by the poor as a result of economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security, the government declared in March 2020 the distribution of additional free-of-cost foodgrains (rice and wheat) to approximately eighty large integer National Food Security Act (NFSA) Antyodaya Pakistani Monetary Unit Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH) beneficiaries So far, the Department has allotted a total of 11,181 LMT of foodgrains to the States and UTs under the theme. Part VII of PMGKAY is currently operational across all states/UTs (October-December 2022). The small print is as follows:
PM’s announcement on rice fortification and scaling up
In his address on the 75th Fourth of July (August fifteen, 2021), Prime Minister of India created Associate in Nursing announcement providing nutrition by activity of fortified rice throughout government schemes.
In accordance with the announcement, the government of India has approved the provision of fortified rice through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and other welfare schemes of the Indian presidency, including ICDS and PM POSHAN, in all states and union territories (UTs) in a phased manner.
In FY 2021-22, all states and UTs began Phase-I implementation, which included ICDS and PM-POSHAN. Under ICDS and PM POSHAN, nearly 17.51 million metric tons of fortified rice were distributed.
Phase-II implementation, which includes Phase-I, TPDS, and OWS, began in April 2022 in 112 aspirational and 250 high burden districts (for a total of 291 districts).Out of 291 districts, 250 districts (in twenty-six states and UTs) have raised fortified rice below TPDS, ICDS, and PM POSHAN; the states and UTs have raised nearly 16.79 LMT until November 13, 2022.
Phase-III implementation would begin in 2023-2024 where Phase-II ended, and all remaining districts would be covered by March 2024.
A centrally sponsored pilot theme on “fortification of rice and its distribution below the public distribution system.”
In order to deal with anaemia and micronutrient deficiency within the country, the Government of the Republic of India approved a Centrally Sponsored Pilot Theme on “Fortification of Rice and its Distribution Below the Public Distribution System” for a period of three years starting in 2019–20. Fifteen state governments, namely, Kerala, Karnataka, geographical area, Odisha, Gujarat, province, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh, have agreed and identified their individual districts (preferably one district per state) for Pilot theme implementation.
Out of those, eleven states—the province of Gujarat, the geographical area of Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand—distributed fortified rice in their known districts below the pilot theme. The pilot theme came to an end on March 31, 2022.
Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) reforms
100% digitized ration cards/knowledge of beneficiaries under NFSA in all States/UTs.
Details of approximately nineteen5 large integer ration cards covering nearly eighty large integer beneficiaries are available on state and UT transparency portals.
More than 99% of Aadhaar-seeding ration cards (at least one member)
About 99.8% (5.33 hundred thousand of a total of 5.34 lakh) truthful value retailers (FPSs) within the country area use machine-driven mistreatment electronic purpose of sale (ePoS) devices for clear and ensured distribution of supported foodgrains to beneficiaries.
Almost ninetieth biometrically/Aadhaar-verified distribution of monthly allotted foodgrains to States/UTs below NFSA.
Progress of One Nation One card to arrange
Starting with inter-state mobility in only four states in August 2019, the ONORC arrangement has now been enabled in thirty-six states or UTs (across the country), covering approximately eighty large integer NFSA beneficiaries, i.e., nearly 100 percent of the NFSA population in the country. Several times during the Gregorian calendar month 2022, Chhattisgarh State and province states joined the ONORC platform.
Since the beginning of the ONORC arrangement in August 2019, over ninety-three large integer movability transactions have been recorded below the ONORC arrangement within the country, delivering over 177 LMT of foodgrains, which incorporates both inter-state and intra-state transactions.
In the year 2022, thirty-nine large integer movability transactions were completed in eleven months, delivering over eighty LMT of foodgrains along with NFSA and PMGKAY inter-state and intra-state movability transactions.Presently, over 3.55 large integer movability transactions are being recorded each month, together with NFSA and PMGKAY foodgrain distribution.
Food grain transportation
During 2022 (from Gregorian calendar month 2022 up to Gregorian calendar month 2022), 153 containerized rakes were stirred, with approximate freight savings of Rs 343 hundred thousand.
FCI is also attempting multi-modal rice transportation involving coastal shipping and road movement from selected province depots to selected depots in Kerala and A&N from 2022 (i.e., from Gregorian calendar month 2022 to Gregorian calendar month 2022). The price difference between the standard mode of transportation and 39000 MT was stimulated by social science.
Further, FCI has stirred a total of 15,019 rakes of foodgrains with an approximate amount of 513.08 LMT from Gregorian calendar month 2022 to Gregorian calendar month 2022 to satisfy the needs of NFSA and PMGKAY.
Revised pointers for procurement, allocation, distribution, and disposal of coarse grains
To obviate difficulties being faced by some states in procurance and distribution of coarse grains and to extend procurement of coarse grain below the Central Pool, the distribution period and shelf life have been enlarged pursuant to a circular dated March 28, 2022. The distribution period for coarse grains has been extended to 6-10 months, up from three months previously.
This could increase the procurement and consumption of those commodities because the state would have longer to distribute them through TPDS and OWS.
E-governance in procurement operations
The Government of the Republic of India has introduced MTP (Minimum Threshold Parameters) to the development of the Associate in Nursing application eco-system, whereby all state procurement portals with Minimum Threshold Parameters for observation and strategic deciding and to confirm uniformity and transparency. MTP involves on-line registration of farmers with Aadhar seeding, integration of land records, digitized mandi operations, MSP transfer to farmers, rice and wheat delivery management, motor vehicle generation of bills, and so on. The net procurement system has largely eliminated procurement through middlemen, resulting in greater MSP targeting to farmers.
Procurement of Foodgrains (Paddy and Wheat):
During the in-progress Kharif selling season (KMS) 2022–23, up to December 4, 2022, an amount of 339.88 LMT of paddy (or 227.82 LMT in terms of rice) has been procured, benefiting 29,000 farmers with an MSP worth of Rs 70015.19 crore. 187.92 LMT of wheat was procured during the Rabi selling season (RMS) 2022-2023, benefiting 17,832 farmers with an MSP worth Rs 37,866.13 crore.
Procurement of Coarse Grains
During KMS 2022-23, this Department approved the procurement arrangements of various state governments for the procurement of coarse grains in accordance with existing pointers dated December 7, 2021 and March twenty-eight, 2022, with the following details:
Open Market Sale (Domestic) Theme (OMSS-D)
To date, 0.10 metric tons of wheat and 1.22 metric tons of rice have been sold in the open market under the Open Market Sale (Domestic) theme (OMSS(D)) for the year 2022.
Sales are lower this year, as evidenced by lower wheat procurement in RMS 2022-23 and lower stock accessibility; as a result, wheat sales have been suspended by letter dated July 7, 2022.Rice sales are limited to 10,000 MT per state/UT until further orders are received by September 7, 2022.
The special dispensation for the offer of foodgrains to any or all charitable or non-governmental organizations then engaged in relief operations or running relief camps for migrant laborers or vulnerable teams is extended until December 31, 2022, or until more orders are received, whichever is earlier, under OMSS(D) policy for the remainder of the year 2022, at the rate of Rs 22/kg for wheat and Rs 23/kg for rice.This theme is also extended to community kitchens.
Under the theme, 1126 organizations raised 1,042 metric tons of rice and 230 organizations raised 1,246 metric tons of wheat between 2020 and 2021.
Furthermore, 34 organizations raised 847 metric tons of rice and a half-dozen organizations raised ten metric tons of wheat during the fiscal year 2021-22. However, no amount has been raised by any organization until October 11, 2022, for the remainder of the year 2022.
Humanitarian food aid
Supply of 40063 MT of wheat to the Islamic State of Afghanistan as humanitarian help
Supply of 2000 MT of non-basmati rice to Timor Leste as humanitarian help
500 metric tons of non-basmati rice to an African country as humanitarian assistance
Sugar Sector
The Indian sugar business is a very important agro-based business that impacts the rural livelihoods of approximately five large integer sugarcane farmers and their families and around five large integer staff directly utilized within the sugar factories. Employment is also generated in various activities such as transportation, machinery trade pairing, and agricultural input provision.India is the world’s largest producer as well as consumer of sugar.Today, the Indian sugar industry produces approximately 1,40,000 large integers per year.
There were 521 operational sugar factories within the country in sugar season 2021–22, with spare crushing capability to supply around 360 large integer metric tons of sugar against the domestic consumption of 260 LMT. To liquidate excess stocks, the government has also been extending help to sugar mills to facilitate the export of sugar. Approximately 6.2 LMT, 30.8 LMT, and 50.9 LMT of sugar were exported during the sugar seasons 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20, respectively.
During the sugar season 2020-21, approximately seventy LMT are exported against a target of sixty LMT.so as to make sure spare accessibility of sugar within the domestic market likewise as proactively observation the sugar market to contain the worth will increase, if any, DGFT, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, has regulated the exports of sugar with impact from Gregorian calendar month 01, 2022, below that board of Sugar, Department of Food and Public Distribution can issue Export unleash Orders to exporters of sugar and sugar mills. However, during the sugar season 2021-22, India exported over 100 LMT of sugar, making it the world’s largest producer and second-largest sugar trader.
As a result of the government’s actions, as of November twenty-nine, 2022, approximately Rs 114,981 (a large integer) is paid to farmers out of the total cane value dues of approximately Rs 118,271 (a large integer) for the sugar season 2021-22, clearing nearly 97 cane dues.
Ethanol Blending program
Ethanol is an agro-based product that is employed for mixing with gas as fuel and has lots of alternative industrial uses, including producing hand sanitizers. It is made from a byproduct of the sugar industry, specifically sirup, as well as starchy food grains.In years of surplus sugarcane production, when costs per area unit are low, the sugar industry is unable to make timely payments of cane value to farmers, and in order to find a permanent solution to the problem of excess sugar, the government is encouraging sugar mills to divert excess sugarcane to alcohol.The government has set a goal of mixing 100 percent of fuel-grade alcohol with gas by 2022 and 200 percent by 2025.
The alcohol distillation capacity of molasses-based distilleries was only 200 large integer metric capacity units in 2014.The offer of alcohol to OMCs was limited to thirty-eight large integer metric capacity units with mixing levels of only one. 53. You’re tired of the 2013-14 alcohol offer year (ESY).However, in the past seven and a half years, thanks to the policy changes created by the government, the capability of molasses-based distilleries has been doubled and is presently at 605 large integer metric capacity units. capability of grain-based distilleries’ area units presently regarding 307 large integer metric capacity units Production of fuel-grade alcohol and its offer to OMCs have inflated by eight times from 2013–14 to 2020–21.
During the alcohol offer year (Dec.-Nov.) 2021–2022, a 100 percent mixing target is anticipated to be achieved, meaning that quite four hundred large integer metric capacity units of alcohol are equipped for mixing with gas. This has resulted in over $8,000,000,000 in revenue for sugar mills and distilleries, strengthening their cash flows and financial positions.The country’s existing capacity for alcohol production (as of October 31, 2022) has increased to 925 large integer metric capacity units.
Further, to satisfy the mixing targets and to extend the investment opportunities, the government has introduced a variety of alcohol interest subsidy schemes from time to time to encourage sugar mills and distilleries to boost their alcohol production capacities, and the government is facilitating them to avail loans from banks with an interest subsidy of 6 percent or five hundredths of the interest charged by the banks, whichever is lower, being borne by the government. Keeping sirup’s primary feedstock constraints in mind, the government is also encouraging alcohol production from diverse feedstocks such as maize, broken food grains, and rice, all of which are available through FCI. It will help India create a clean and healthy environment while mitigating the effects of climate change. It will also help India create Aatma Nirbhar in the energy sector.
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