A review meeting of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and concerned departments was held on June 23 under the chairpersonship of Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, to assess the status of food grain procurement, storage, distribution and implementation of food security schemes in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

The meeting was attended by MLA Jammu Vikram Randhawa; Administrative Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), Rahul Sharma; Director, FCS&CA, Tahir Hussain; Assistant Director, FCS&CA, Ruth Mary; General Manager, FCI J&K Region, L. Chatru Naik; Assistant General Manager, FCI J&K Region, E.S. Jagan; District Manager Srinagar, Kuru Lal Meena; Manager Kargil, Tsering Toldan; Manager Leh, G. Mohd, along with other senior officials.

During the meeting, the General Manager, FCI J&K Region, gave a detailed presentation on the functioning of FCI divisional offices, their linkage with revenue districts and agency-wise storage capacities across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

The presentation covered key aspects including storage infrastructure, godowns and their capacities, manpower status, wheat and paddy production and procurement, as well as the current food grain stock position in both Union Territories.

Officials also discussed plans for modernising storage facilities and reviewed the progress of under-construction godowns being developed under the Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee (PEG) Scheme.

The Minister of State was briefed on the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan, monthly allocation and lifting trends under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS).

Administrative Secretary, FCS&CA, Rahul Sharma, presented details regarding the distribution of free food grains under NFSA, departmental structure, functioning of sales centres, ration card coverage and beneficiary statistics. He also highlighted district-wise, tehsil-wise and block-wise mapping of sale centres across the region.

The meeting further reviewed the implementation of the Ladakh Food Security Scheme (LFSS), online food grain distribution through electronic Point of Sale (ePOS) devices and the progress, challenges and current status of the Smart-PDS system in the Union Territory.

Addressing the meeting, Minister of State Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya highlighted the Government of India’s commitment towards ensuring food security for citizens under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
She stated that through the National Food Security Act, nearly 81 crore beneficiaries across the country have been provided free ration, making it one of the world’s largest food security initiatives.

The Minister stressed the need for early resolution of manpower-related issues and directed departments and officials to work in close coordination to improve storage infrastructure, ensure transparency and facilitate timely distribution of food grains to beneficiaries.

She further directed officials to expedite completion of ongoing infrastructure projects, strengthen digital systems under Smart-PDS and enhance monitoring mechanisms for improved public service delivery.

The meeting concluded with detailed discussions on improving operational efficiency, addressing logistical challenges and ensuring smooth implementation of food security schemes across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.