With a huge buffer stock at its disposal, the Union Cabinet on Friday gave its go-ahead to the Centre to utilise a little over one-fourth of the stock of pulses for meeting the protein component under various Central Government schemes, like Mid-Day Meal (MDM), providing nutrition to beneficiaries and target groups.
The disposal through the Central Government Schemes is in addition to the disposal of pulses from the buffer through open market sale and supply to States at lower rates. The Centre has created a buffer stock of 20 lakh tonnes of pulses through local procurement and imports this year. Of this, 5.5 lakh tonnes will be used for the purpose.
For the first time, the Government had last year decided to create a buffer stock of pulses to ensure better prices to farmers and at the same time use the stock to augment local supply in times of price rise.
Incidentally, when the crop was bumper and prices crashed, it started procuring at the support price. The cost of pulses supplied to States would, in no case, be higher than the market price, protecting their interest as well. The country had produced a record
22.95 million tonnes in the 2016-17 crop year (July-June) buoyed by good rains and higher support prices.
Around 3.5 lakh tonnes of pulses will be given at a lower rate to five States — Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana because these States have responded to the Ministry's urging to provide pulses at cheaper rate. Around two lakh tonnes of pulses will be given for consumption under various Central welfare schemes including the mid-day meal programme.
According to officials, the Centre's decision will help to ensure adequate supply of nutrients/pulses under the various schemes and programmes of
the Centre and State Governments including the MDM scheme, Anganwadi and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme hospitals, etc. as well as Ministries/Departments or their agencies providing food/catering/hospitality services.
The HRD Ministry is responsible for the MDM scheme which provides meals to school children in the country. Similarly, the Women and Child Welfare Ministry, responsible for ICDS schemes, can take good quantity of pulses from the central buffer stock. The scheme aims at holistic development of children below 6-years of age, pregnant women and lactating mothers by providing a package of six services comprising supplementary nutrition; immunisation; health check-up; referral services; pre-school non-formal education; and nutrition and health education are provided to the targeted beneficiaries i.e. all children below 6-years, Pregnant and lactating Mothers.
The number of beneficiaries [children (6 months to 6 years) and pregnant and lactating mothers] for supplementary nutrition under ICDS scheme has increased from 956.12 lakh to 1030.14 lakh and Number of beneficiaries [children (3-6 years) for pre-school education increased from 353.29 lakh to 354.05 lakh in 2016. Similarly, Anganwadi Centres have also increased from 1,338,732 to 1,349,091 in 2016. The total beneficiaries under MDM are over 21 lakh in the country.
"To give effect to the decision, the CCEA has empowered the concerned departments/ministries to carry out suitable amendments in their schemes/guidelines to enable them to take/provide pulses from the buffer in 'kind' under their respective schemes," officials said.