The Food and Civil Supplies Department of Jharkhand has given special instructions to all the Divisional Managers (DM) of State Food Corporation (SFC) across Jharkhand to make immediate arrangements for preventing any damage caused to food grains at the godowns due to moisture and water during the ongoing monsoon season, officials from the Department said on Friday.
“Most of our godowns are well equipped to sustain the monsoon without letting it cause any damage to the food grains. However, funds have been transferred to the DMs especially for repair work and they have been instructed to immediately address any damage reported in their area,” said Food and Civil Supplies Secretary Amitabh Kaushal.
Usually, holes in roofs or seepage in the walls of the godown lets water and moisture into the indoor storage facility. Water making its way into the godown results in damage caused to food grains as they catch moisture, sources said. “Sporadic damage caused to food grains due to rains is usually addressed almost immediately,” said Kaushal.
Monsoon entered Jharkhand in the last week of June this year but no case of water damage to food grains has been reported from any of the SFC godowns in the State so far, officials from the Department said.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Saryu Roy, who recently inspected an SFC godown in Ranchi and found several anomalies in it, said that the Department has passed special instructions to all the DMs asking them to ensure that no food grain is left in the open during the monsoon.
According to figures mentioned in the official website of the Department, there are a total of 21 godowns in Ranchi alone. These godowns have a total covered capacity of 13150 Metric Tonne and uncovered capacity of 700 Metric Tonne. The uncovered area is not being used during monsoon, sources said.
Several thousand tonnes of food grains get destroyed in rains across the country every year during monsoon as they are kept in the open. Space crunch at godowns leads to dumping of food grains in the open, which exposes them to rains. “None of our godowns keep the gunny bags in the open. They are all moved inside the godown directly from the delivery,” said a worker at an SFC godown in Ranchi.
During inspection last month, Roy found at least 1000 quintals of pulses, with some sacks torn and littered on the floor at a godown in Ranchi. The pulses belonged to the State School Education and Literacy Department, which was supposed to use them for Midday Meal. Besides, several sacks of double fortified salt, including a few packets which were torn, were also found on the floor of the godown. The development had rung the alarm bells for the Department, which pulled up all the district officials soon after the sorry state of the godown came to light.