On the 13th of February Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Textiles, and Commerce & Industry visited Lucknow to review the operations of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in the Uttar Pradesh (UP) region. During his visit, he emphasized the importance of using modern technologies in food grain management and quality control to bring more transparency and minimize human intervention.
He encouraged all FCI officers to send their suggestions to improve the functioning of the organization and to use their expertise in the field of foodgrain management to suggest better designs for godowns, with the aim of increasing capacities in limited areas of land.
Shri Goyal also emphasized the need to open more procurement centers covering all revenue districts, providing farmers with more options to sell their produce. He appreciated the use of E-POP machines at purchase centers in UP and advised that this system should be implemented in other states to bring more transparency to the procurement system from farmers.
Given the large demand, population, and geographic area of Uttar Pradesh, the Union Minister directed that a greater quantity of wheat should be offered in the Open Market Sale Scheme to control market prices.
When reviewing the storage capacities in the state, Shri Goyal stated that all FCI godowns, both owned and hired, should meet the highest standards. Any godowns of poor standards should be immediately upgraded or de-hired.
In conclusion, the Union Minister’s visit to Lucknow highlights the importance of using modern technologies and efficient practices in food grain management to ensure transparency and improve the distribution of food grains to the masses.
