Nashik: Nashik district hadn’t received the food grains under public distribution system due to the agitation by farmers in Punjab. As food grains received from Food Corporation of India (FCI) on time after follow up by the district supply office (DSO) for availability of food grains to poor, around 75% food grains reached to 1966 ration shops in the district. However, food grains could not reach to 643 shops
As a result, beneficiaries in these shops were deprived of the food grains under the ration. Supply of wheat and rice on ration in most of the districts of Maharashtra including the Nashik district comes from the state of Punjab. However, due to the farmers’ agitation in Punjab, the ration shops hadn’t been able to get their October and November ration quota. The district received two railway rakes of food grains of the total 9 rakes meant for October. The ration under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana had not been received. Nashik district hadn’t received the rest foodgrains for October.
In order to ensure that the ration beneficiaries should not be deprived of foodgrain during Diwali, supply department had started taking efforts to get food grains available from Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The department received wheat, rice and tur dal from the godown of Food Corporation of India at Manmad.
In addition, sugar was also available during Diwali festival. A total of 11,279 tonnes of wheat and 6,187 tonnes of rice have been disbursed in the district. Currently, a total of 1966 ration shops in the district have received the food grains.
There has been 100% ration food grains disbursement in Nashik and Malegaon tehsils. Besides this, 100% food grains have reached to Niphad, Deola, Kalvan, Trimbakeshwar, Yeola, Nashik and Malegaon tehsils, informed District Supply Officer Arvind Narsikar. On the other, most shops in Igatpuri, Peth, Surgana, Nandgaon, Sinnar, Chandwad, Dindori and Baglan tehsils are still waiting to get food grain.
