Amidst huge unrest, the Central Government has enhanced the quota of civil supplies under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) meant for the strife-torn state of Manipur.
The Centre has allocated an additional quantity of 30,000 metric tons of rice in view of the current law & order situation for a period of three months — June 2023 to August 2023 — to non-NFSA beneficiaries in the state.
“This is a welcome move. Of course, civil supplies are a big issue in the state. There is violence every second day and a curfew has been imposed. So uninterrupted civil supplies are needed (sic)” said the Co-Convenor of Manipur Tribal Forum V Naulakh in Delhi.
This will ensure sufficient stock and regular civil supplies in the northeastern state. A government delegation visited the state to get an update about the ground reality in the violent hit regions of the state. At present, the food stocks available are enough to last.
“The hilly region of Manipur is a difficult terrain. People really need to walk to ensure they get their share of food grains through the distribution system. It would be helpful to allocate extra quota to the state to ensure regular civil supplies” said a local journalist on the phone from Manipur.
The Secretary DFPD, Sanjeev Chopra, visited Imphal on Wednesday to review the functioning of NFSA in the wake of the recent law and order situation. The DFPD Secretary also met the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (CAFPD) of Manipur L. Susindro Meitei, and the Chief Secretary, Vineet Joshi.
The department is also exploring additional routes to ensure a smooth and seamless supply of foodgrains through various routes such as Dimapur, Silchar, and Bairabi to the state and the supplying of a total of 25,500 metric tons of rice to the state by the end of June 2023.