MARKFED advanced Rs 40.22 cr for paddy procurement: Gupta

The Chhattisgarh State Co-operative Marketing Federation (MARKFED) has advanced Rs 40.22 crore to Co-operative Central Banks for Co-operative Committees in about 1992 procurement centers for paddy purchase.

He said that MARKFED is a nodal agency for paddy procurement from farmers.

Radhakrishna Gupta, Chairman MARKFED said that 10 Kisan rice mills in the State would also be modernized to increase their storage capacity.

Gupta said that in the ongoing Kharif season, a target had been set to store 6.5 lakh tonnes of chemical fertilizers.

On the other hand notably, five cities of Chhattisgarh now have the Core-PDS system implemented involving a total of 484 ration shops, officials informed.

There are 24 states in the country which have also achieved 100 per cent digitization of the PDS database.

About 90% of the masses are covered under Food and Nutrition Security Act as implemented in 2013.

Chhattisgarh’s PDS under Antyodaya and Priority families schemes provides 35 kg food grains at Re 1 per kilo. Since June 2014 single member category ration card-holders under destitute segment are provided 10 kg food grains free of cost.