Cabinet approves committee to facilitate 'world’s largest' grain storage plan in cooperative sector

The central government today (May 31) approved the formation of an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) for the facilitation of the "world’s largest" grain storage plan in the cooperative sector. The committee has been formed after the convergence of various Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare schemes, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

The committee will supervise the time-bound and uniform implementation of the plan in a professional manner. The Ministry of Cooperation will implement a pilot project in at least 10 selected districts in different states/UTs. The pilot would provide valuable insights into various regional requirements of the project, the learnings from which would be suitably incorporated for the country-wide implementation of the plan, the ministry mentioned in its statement.

Several schemes have been identified for convergence under the plan, which includes the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure Scheme (AMI), Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and schemes like Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PMFME) and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY). The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution will also introduce some schemes like allocating food grains under the National Food Security Act and procurement operations at Minimum Support Prices.

"The plan is multi-pronged – it aims to address not just the shortage of agricultural storage infrastructure in the country by facilitating the establishment of godowns at the level of PACS, but would also enable PACS to undertake various other activities," the ministry mentioned in the release.

The Ministry further informed that the National Level Coordination Committee will be formed within one week of the Cabinet's approval, and implementation guidelines will be issued within 15 days of the Cabinet's approval. Alongside, a portal for the linkage of PACS with Govt. of India and State Governments will be rolled out within 45 days of Cabinet approval, and the implementation of the proposal will start within 45 days of Cabinet approval.

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