As the food requirements of poor and people on streets are getting acute by the day due to prolonged lockdown, NGOs have stepped in to source rice at subsidised rate straight away from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for free distribution.
The FCI has already allotted Grade ‘A’ rice meant for public distribution system to four NGOs in Telangana at ₹ 22 a kg while its market price ranged from ₹ 35 to ₹ 40 a kg. The FCI has also offered wheat at ₹ 21 a kg but there were no takers in the State.
General Manager of FCI here Ashwin Kumar Gupta told The Hindu that many organisations had approached the agency for allotment of rice but only a genuine few were selected.
The allotment was so far done to Danam Lingamurthy Trust run by TRS MLA Danam Nagender which was sanctioned 25 tonnes. The New Delhi based International Association for Human Values was sanctioned 10 tonnes, Joy of Sharing Society two tonnes and Bharati Memorial Foundation one tonne.
The Art of Living Foundation and Akshayapatra Foundation had also contacted the FCI.
Centre’s directive
The FCI informed all the collectors of Telangana with copies to the Chief Secretary and the Civil Supplies Commissioner on Wednesday that the Centre had decided, as a one-time measure, that charitable trusts and NGOs running relief camps or community kitchens for providing food to the needy people may be provided food grains — both rice and wheat — under FCI’s Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS). Accordingly, it was decided that the district collectors shall be nodal officers for the purpose.
The charitable trusts and NGOs must first approach the collectors along with a request letters mentioning details of their organisations, purpose for which the rice will be used, quantity and depots from where they wished to lift the stocks.
The offices of collectors will verify the credentials of the organisations and endorse the letters if the claims were genuine. Then, they may deposit the money to the account of FCI regional office here.
The minimum quantity to purchase shall be one tonne but there was no cap on the maximum.
Payment received
The organisations may mail the request letters along with the collector’s endorsement and payment particulars to the FCI which will then direct its divisional offices to issue release orders to concerned depots.
The buyers must deposit full cost within five working days and complete lifting the stocks within 10 days for quantities between one to 10 tonnes. For above 10 tonnes, the cost must be met within 21 days and lifting the stocks within 35 days.
