6,000 quintals of essential commodities procured to stock up against monsoon vagaries

AMEET OBEROI
GANGTOK, 11 June: The State Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department [FCS&CAD], as part of monsoon preparedness, has procured a total of 6,000 quintals of essential commodities like Rice and Flour in the state. Apart from this the department has also identified vulnerable areas across the State following which the maintenance of the buffer stocks there has been initiated.
Speaking to NOW! today, Additional Secretary [FCS&CAD] KK Kafley informed that the department has identified the areas prone to blockage during monsoon like the whole of North District, in East- Pakyong, Rongli which are also termed as vulnerable areas, West District- Dentam, Tashiding, Sombaria, Soreng and in South District areas like Ravangla to cater to the supply of food grains to Sada, Phamtam and Yangang and assessing the requirement, the food grains have been procured and maintenance of the stock is under process.
Normally the food grains procured by the state under all schemes operational in the state is about 37,163.90 quintals per month but to cater to the needs of the general masses in the far-flung areas of the state the buffer stock has been procured. The food grains procured for the monsoon is to mitigate the requirement during emergency, meanwhile the regular supply of grains will continue as usual.
The food grains procured by the state normally are; under BPL category the total amount of food grains distributed in the state is 9,420 quintals, APL [two categories] is 19,200 quintals, MMAAY is 5,780 quintals, Annapurna scheme [scheme for old people of 10 kgs rice per month] its 250 quintals and under welfare scheme its 113.90 quintals, respectively.
With respect to Kerosene supply or buffer stock for monsoon, the Additional Secretary mentioned that the total kiloliters [KL] of kerosene procured by the state per month totals to about 528 KL, which is about 5 lakhs 28 thousand liters. The supply of kerosene has been reduced by about 24,000 liters compared to earlier years by the central government. Whereas with regard to maintenance of buffer stock he iterated that there is no additional supply of kerosene to the state, while transport and storage is an even greater challenge.
The Additional Secretary with respect to Liquefied Petroleum Gas [LPG] buffer stock for the monsoon said that the Department of Food and Civil Supplies being the nodal department has placed the requirement with the Indian Oil Corporation [IOC] and has also had series of meetings on the requests placed. The LPG issue falls directly in the purview of the IOC inclusive of their norms and guidelines but the department on its part has also proposed for distributor-ship to be started in every constituency considering easy supply of the same soon.
Following the buffer stock of LPG during monsoon the department is also convening a meet on 15 June with all the distributors and based on the meet held the proposal would be sent to IOC for supply, he added.