In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said that the State Department of Food and Civil Supplies, along with NAFED and NCCF, has provided hiring assurance for godowns to be constructed in 147 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS). Construction work has already commenced in 103 PACS.
He further stated, “The Government has approved a plan to create warehouses, custom hiring centers, primary processing units, and other agri-infrastructure for grain storage at the PACS level, through convergence of various Government of India schemes, including AIF, AMI, SMAM, PMFME, etc.
This initiative will reduce wastage of food grains and transportation costs, help farmers realize better prices for their produce, and meet various agricultural needs at the PACS level itself.”
Under the pilot project, construction of godowns in 11 PACS across 11 States has been completed. Further, under the Extended Pilot, more than 500 PACS across the country have been identified for godown construction under the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in the Cooperative Sector.
Additionally, a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), “Margdarshika”, has been developed and shared with the States and Union Territories to ensure smooth and uniform implementation of the plan.