12-Sep-2022: The Department of Food and Public Distribution directs to use Millet products during official meetings and Canteens

In order to promote consumption of Millets and in view of their health benefits, all offices of the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) have recently directed to introduce and promote millets in their canteens and in meetings.

Millets may be included as one of the snacks/Biscuit made up of millets (having main raw material as millet) such as Ragi Biscuits/Cookies/ladoos and baked millet chips etc. as snacks to be serve in the meetings. Millet/Ragi Dosa, Millet mix vada, Millet mix Puri and Idli /ragi ladoo etc. (Having main raw material as Millet) to be used in the Canteens and as far as possible locally available millet-based products should be used.

The year 2023 will be celebrated as International Year of Millets (IYoM). DFPD has been actively promoting procurement/consumption of millets in the country and utilization of procured millets for distribution in the TPDS/ICDS/MDM Scheme. Millets consumption confers several benefits and helps in managing life style diseases. Due to their high density of nutrients including vitamins, minerals, phyto chemicals and dietary fiber, millets are also excellent grains to alleviate malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency.

1-Sep-2022: 13,000 individuals register under Common Registration Facility “Mera Ration Mera Adhikar” since its launching on 5th August 2022 in 11 States/UTs.

A meeting was convened  today under the chairmanship of Shri Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary (DFPD) to further expand the coverage of Common Registration Facility,  with 12 more States/UTs i.e. Chandigarh, D&D D&N, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Telangana, Puducherry, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh. The meeting also  reviewed the readiness for further rollout of Common Registration Facility in these States. All the participating States/UTs have shown willingness to come on board of this facility so that it helps them to obtain fresh data of potential beneficiaries for inclusion under NFSA. States/UTs have been requested to make full use of this facility, duly observing the due process of verification at their level before issue of ration card subject to the respective coverage limit under NFSA.

On the occasion of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav(AKAM) and to facilitate the States/UTs in rightful targeting of benefit under NFSA, Secretary (DFPD) launched a web-based Common Registration Facility (Mera Ration Mera Adhikar) on 5th August 2022 for 11 States/UTs i.e. Assam, Goa, Lakshadweep, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Tripura and Uttarakhand. This facility has been developed by the NIC and is accessible on https://nfsa.gov.in.

Response to this Common Registration Facility has been quite encouraging as is seen from the nearly 13,000 registration of individual in just 25 days, since the launching of this facility in 11 States/UTs.

The Department of Food and Public Distribution embarked upon this initiative to serve as an enabling facility so that States/UTs can expedite the collection of data for initiating the due process for achieving the coverage of deserving and destitute persons under NFSA, upto their respective limits.

7-Oct-2021: In order to benefit the farmers, Department of Food and Public Distribution develops an application ecosystem that integrates the procurement portals of all state governments.

In view of the benefit of farmers along with keeping traders and middlemen at bay, the Department of Food and Public Distribution has developed an application ecosystem, which allows the integration of procurement portals of all state governments having Minimum Threshold Parameters (MTPs)for monitoring and strategic decision making.

This process began with the onset of KMS 2021-22 in October, 2021. The introduction of Minimum Threshold Parameters (MTPs) in procurement operations are necessitated to avoid middlemen in procurement and provide that farmers get the best value for their produce. The integration with central portal will go a long way in expediting the reconciliation of procurement figures with States and release of funds by Centre Government to the States.

The benefits will be reaped by the society in general, but specific benefits envisaged for stakeholders are as under:

1. Farmers: Will be able to sell their produce at suitable prices and avoid distress sale.
2. Procuring Agencies: With better management of procurement operations, the State agencies and FCI will be able to procure efficiently with the limited resources at hand.
3. Other Stakeholders: The automation and standardization of procurement operations shall provide an integrated view of procurement of foodgrains and its storage in godowns.

MTPs that must necessarily be captured in all the procurement portals to ensure uniformity and interoperability among them are as under:

• Online Registration of Farmers/Sharecroppers: Name, Father’s name, Address, Mobile No., Aadhar No., Bank A/C details, Land details (Khata/ Khasra), Self-cultivated or land on rent/share cropping/contract.    
• Integration of registered farmer data with State’s land record portal
• Integration of Digitized Mandi/Procurement centre operations: Generation of buyer/seller forms, bill of sale proceeds etc.
• Online payment through Expenditure Advance Transfer (EAT) module of PFMS, for direct and speedy transfer of MSP to farmers.
• CMR/Wheat delivery management- Auto generation of billing upon uploading of Acceptance note/ Weight Check Memo and takeover of the stock (UP Model)

Data to flow through API based integration, to the proposed unified GoI Portal for real time reporting of farmers/sharecroppers benefitted, number of small/marginal farmers, yield, quantity procured, payment made, inventory management of central pool stocks.

It is pertinent to mention here that there is a varied scale of implementation of Information Technology based tools across the States. Moreover, because of the prioritization of the local requirements and practices, a pan-India standard procurement ecosystem was non-existing.

Due to variations in the procurement systems, there emerge both systemic and implementation challenges for implementing the schemes of Centre Government. Reconciliation of the procurement operations with various States, is sometimes a long drawn exercise, leading to avoidable delays in the release of funds to States. Moreover, the non-standard procurement operations/processed also lead to avoidable inefficiencies, which manifest in the form of middlemen in the procurement operations.

Undoubtedly, the Centre Government puts great emphasis towards the welfare of the farmers and MSP based procurement is the traditional approach to ensure that the farmers get the appropriate selling price of their produce. This ultimately helps attain the objectives of the Centre and implementation of the National Food Security Act. Standardization of the operations are essential in helping the country achieve greater levels of transparency and efficiency in procurement operations, which ultimately lead to ensuring food security for the people of the country.

The Government of India over multiple forums has sensitized State governments and other public procuring agencies on the need of Minimum Threshold Parameters compliance for procurement operations and its integration with the central portal, namely Central Foodgrains Procurement Portal (CFPP) through the Department of Food & Public Distribution in its discussion with the respective State governments.

20-Sep-2021: In a first, Centre issues uniform specifications for Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) for grade A & Common Rice

Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution for the first time issued uniform specifications for Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) for grade A & Common Rice have in case of procurement of Fortified Rice Stocks, of which 1% of FRK (w/w) should be blended with normal rice stock.

The department issued the uniform specifications of food grains for Central Pool procurement for the ensuing Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21. These specifications as per standard practice have been issued in respect of Paddy, Rice and other coarse grains namely Jowar, Bajra, Maize, Ragi. These specifications also include standards of rice for issue to States/UTs for distribution under TPDS and Other Welfare Schemes based on the uniform specifications of rice for KMS 2020-21.

The State Governments are requested to ensure that wide publicity of the Uniform Specifications is made among the farmers to ensure that they get due price for their produce and any rejection of the stocks is completely avoided.

All States/Union Territories and Food Corporation of India have been advised that the procurement during KMS 2020-21 may be strictly in accordance with the uniform specifications. It may be pertinent to mention that in order to protect and promote interest of farmers, Government of India has preponed, Kharif Procurement Period from September 26, 2020 in respect of Haryana and Punjab and for rest of the country from September 28, 2020. The Food Corporation of India and States Procurement Agencies have been directed to ensure hassle free procurement and Minimum Support Price (MSP) payments to farmers.

28-Aug-2020: Department of Food & Public Distribution to organise activities to celebrate Poshan Maah

To commemorate the ‘Poshan Maah’ organised by Ministry of Women and Child Development, a meeting was taken today by Secretary, Department of Food & Public Distribution with CMD, Food Corporation of India, MD, CWC and senior officers of the department.

The Poshan Maah is observed every year in the month of September.  As part of this, the DoFPD through its organisations have decided to organise activities as suggested by M/o Women and Child Development, in various parts of the country to sensitize the target groups on the merits of nutritional security.