In a bid to provide free pulses to 20 crore households through public distribution system, the Centre will distribute 5.88 lakh metric tonnes under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Anna Yojna (PMGAY) to States and Union Territories amid coronavirus lockdown.
According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, most of the beneficiaries will receive the quota for the first month within April or latest by the first week of May and several states would be able to distribute pulses for all three months in the first go itself.
According to the ministry, the massive operation of transportation and milling of 5.88 lakh tonne of pulses will have to be milled for distribution of 5.88 lakh tonnes of milled and cleaned pulses under the PDS for three months under the PMGAY. While the monthly requirement of pulses is about 1.96 lakh tonne under the PMGAY, about 1.45 lakh tonne of milled and cleaned pulses have so far been offered to states for distribution through PDS, also called ration shops.
“While, as on date, about 30,000 tonnes of pulses have been distributed, this would speed up in the first week of May. For the remaining states, the efforts are being made to complete the distribution for all three months within May itself, preferably within the third week of May, it added. About one-third of the monthly requirement of pulses has been taken by states and union territories to final destinations for distribution, it said. Each kilo of pulse goes through at least three (in many cases four) trips by truck and as many cycles of loading and unloading. While for long distances, transport is being done through goods trains, in most cases transportation is by road through trucks, the ministry added.
This kind of massive operation would involve about two lakh truck trips and loading as well as unloading operation over a period of 4 weeks, the ministry said, adding that it is challenging during the lockdown as many dal mills and godowns are located in the hotspot areas.
Around 17 States and Union Territories such as Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Andamans, Chandigarh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana have begun distribution. Several other States and UTs have decided to distribute pulses along with foodgrain distribution in the first week of May for reasons of social distancing and public safety.
Some States and UTs such as Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Goa, Ladakh, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and even Punjab have been provided milled/cleaned pulses for all three months in one go, it said.
Several States with dal mills within their jurisdictions have been asked to lift the milled pulses by themselves to speed up the process, it added.
The cooperative NAFED is executing the task, it said and noted that “the scale of this operation is massive and far more complex than foodgrain movement”.
According to the ministry, NAFED has been allowed to use the pulses stock lying in its 165 godowns for this purpose.
The cooperative, which has roped in over 100 dal mills so far, is selecting the millers through online auctions. Also, a five group of officers of both Consumer Affairs and Agriculture Ministries have been created for coordinating with states, NAFED, dal millers and warehousing corporations.
The Cabinet Secretary is personally monitoring the distribution on a day to day basis, the ministry added.