New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday (May 31) approved a Rs 1 lakh crore programme to increase foodgrain storage capacity by 700 lakh tonne in the cooperative sector. Giving details, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said presently, the grain storage capacity in the country is about 1,450 lakh tonne. In the next five years, the storage will expand to 2,150 lakh tonne. The storage capacity will be increased in the cooperative sector.
Terming the proposed scheme as the “world’s largest foodgrain storage programme” in the cooperative sector, Minister Thakur said a 2,000-tonne capacity godown will be set up in each block.
He said the move is aimed to reduce the damage of food grains due to a lack of storage facilities, help in checking distress sales by farmers, reduce import dependence and create employment opportunities in rural India.
Also Read: India Sets Record Foodgrain Production Target Of 332 Million Tonnes For 2023-24
The minister said more storage capacity will reduce transportation costs for farmers and strengthen food security.
India annually produces about 3,100 lakh tonne of foodgrains, but the existing godowns can store only up to 47 per cent of the produce.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diarrhoea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
