Food Corruption of India!
Ration lines were in existence when I was in school. So one knew that India had a food shortage. Wheat used to be called PL480 wheat – what was unfit for consumption in US was sent to India. One of the honourable Ministers of yester-years Mr. C Subramaniam set up Food Corporation of India. This was supposed to buy all the foodgrains from rural India, set up godowns to store them and then sell it in Urban India.
Viola, India would not have any food shortage – at least that is how it was supposed to work. It did not. By the time I was in college there was a healthy contempt for anything government! In one of our trips we met a ‘mandi’ expert – and asked him did the FCI not threaten him?
He laughed – he used to buy food grains from farmers and sell it to the FCI (Oh la la la – we thought they were supposed to eliminate HIM). That could not be profitable we argued. He said what non sense! I buy at Rs. 10 a kg and sell at Rs. 11 a kg. However these guys were not used to such a small margin…
Then the facts came out. The grains would be nicely drenched before it was weighed in for FCI. Simple -weight went up, and perhaps about 20-30% margins were created.
Alas, the grains would rot, we protested. Of course said the agent – ‘lekin kisko padi hai’ .
Many governmental programs are created with the long term vision of a man watching through the ‘nice vision’ of ‘good intentions’. Most of these ministers (CS was as straight forward as they came) -did not prepare for the ‘kameena’ pan of the bureaucrats.
So now Sharad Pawar (what fresh do I need to say about his reputation?) destroys 11,500 tonnes of food grains, but we will not set up a cold chain, private storage, …..well have fun Mr. Pawar. Your food ministry and the performance of the Indian cricket team (No. 1 in world ranking) both stink.
CommonMan
The procurement & distribution system through FCI is screwed and became inefficient. 10 years back there is a license raj system i.e if you want to sell a ton of rice grains outside you home state you had to supply two tons of rice grains to FCI and get a permit from them for supplying one ton. The price FCI pays will not get any sustainable margins. So the loss/less profit in the two tons supplied to FCI is compansated by increasing the price of 1 ton supllied to outer states/market.
This license raj system was freed after a few years but was later again brought from the last two years
This is one of the reason of high rice rate in open market. i.e the FCI pays some 10-15rs for a kilo of rice and distributes it through PDS for 2rs and the permit holder who sold the rice to FCI had to cover his loss so he sells rice for 30kg in open market. Ultimately no body gets benifitted here, (except the PDS guys who sell this 2rs rice at 10rs in open market) bcoz due to the inefficient storage system of FCI the grains wont last long in their warehouses and get spoiled.
A Free system will take care of all deeds, try to controlling it is screwing it more
pravin
the conceit of the agriculture ministry is appaling. this is one ministry that can be banned with immediate beneficial effect.
Sachin
After becoming ICC chairman this man, Sharad Pawar. went to Dr. Manmohan Singh and told him to reduce his burden as Agriculture ministry. Then why the hell did he accepted ICC chairmanship !!!
And he is such a shrewd man that he did not want to reduce the burden but want to include her daughter in the ministry stating other reasons.
sabhi
food corruption in india on it’s peak.. why govt don’t take step on it?
it’s look like govt playing with the life of people