FCI officials update on storage capacity

Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, Sep. 21 (EMN): Officials of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) informed that the food storage depot (FSD) in Mokokchung has a capacity of 3132 metric tons with around 65000-70000 bags of rice with the current stock of 2681 metric tons of rice.

This was disclosed by FCI officials during a a press conference on September 20 to disseminate information on the working and functioning of the FCI FSD in Khensa village, some 10 km away from Mokokchung town.

Rongsentemjen, depot in-charge of FCI FSD, Mokokchung, informed that the main objective of FCI was ensuring food security of the nation and look after the public distribution system. He informed that the FSD in Mokokchung covers Mokokchung and Longleng districts respectively with its main divisional office in Dimapur. He added that around 150-200 truckloads of rice reached Mokokchung godown monthly.

He informed that FCI do not issue directly to the public but instead routed through the PDS system of Food and Civil Supplies department.

“On many occasions, people get confused with FCI and the department of Food and Civil Supplies. Our job is to issue the rice to the concerned departments and it is the job of the concerned department to do the dispatching. We do not issue directly to the public,” he clarified.

He further added that FCI deals with only rice distribution in Nagaland.

Rongsentemjen informed that FCI is currently implementing three schemes of the central government through the National Food Security Act. The FCI also channels the food grains (fortified rice) towards the mid-day meal scheme on quarterly basis including Longleng district too, he added.

Durgesh Thingujam, technical assistant of FCI FSD, Mokokchung, informed that the responsibility of FCI FSD was to ensure quality of rice and that the rice bags are free from infestation.

The two officials at the FCI FSD Mokokchung also informed that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY), a scheme of the central government that provides free food grains to the needy since April 2020 as a part of the COVID relief, would cease to function from September 2022.

The FCI FSD Mokokchung has two staff and three personnel from the landowner appointed by DC Mokokchung.