Food Distribution : Focus on Local Effort

Focus on Local Effort More than two months after reports of starvation deaths in Orissa hit the headlines, the central government has decided to launch a grain bank scheme in the tribal areas of the country. The scheme, to be initially implemented in 1.14 lakh villages, has an outlay of Rs 1,066 crore and will involve the setting up of a grain bank on demand in each of these villages. The banks will be stocked with 1 mn tonnes of grain worth Rs 1,000 crore (at the so-called economic cost) provided free of cost as a onetime grant by the central government, and Rs 66 crore will be spent on transportation of grain and other expenses such as on setting up of storage bins. The plan follows the announcement by the government earlier of its intention to provide 5 mn tonnes of foodgrain