Centre Approves Uttarakhand's Millet, Procurement Plan

The Centre has given its approval to the state government's procurement plan for millet, paving the way for its distribution among beneficiaries through the public distribution system. The Centre has given its consent to procure 0.096 lakh metric tonne of millet directly from farmers at an MSP of Rs 3,574 per quintal in the ongoing fiscal, an official release here said.

A proposal in this regard had been submitted by the state government to the Centre earlier this month. Ration card holders in Uttarakhand will now be able to get one kg of millet for free through PDS outlets along with rice and wheat. However, initially, beneficiaries in only four plain districts -- Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital, Haridwar and Dehradun -- will get it.

It also paves the way for schools to get millet through the PDS for the mid-day meal programme. Millet is highly nutritious and people in general and school-going children will benefit immensely from its availability at PDS outlets. In the first phase of the programme, millet will be bought directly from farmers of Pauri and Almora districts through 31 cooperative purchase centres in the two districts and dispatched by the Food and Civil Supplies department to PDS centres, the release said.

Thanking the Centre for its approval to the procurement plan, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said it will double the income of farmers besides immensely benefitting people in general. According to the release, the scheme will cost the government Rs 45 crore.

(PTI)