Meghalaya government asks FCI to store sufficient food

Shillong, Apr 8 (UNI) In the wake of inflation across the country, the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance government has asked the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to keep sufficient buffer stocks to avoid any lapse in distribution of essentials.

The government has also activated the Public Distribution System (PDS) to ensure timely availability of adequate subsidised commodities for the people.

''We have asked the FCI to keep sufficient stocks of foodgrains for three months to prevent any lapse in distribution of essential commodities as had happened in the past,'' Food and Civil Supplies Minister JA Lyngdoh said.

The minister also appealed to consumers to formally lodge complaint with the district authorities on poor quality of essentials loaded from FCI gowdowns.

Mr Lyngdoh had convened the Price Monitoring Committee meeting, assessing the inflation rate in the state with District Magistrates, Sub-Divisional Officers and representatives of Frontier Chamber of Commerce and Meghalaya Chamber of Commerce.

On inflation in the state, Mr Lyngdoh said the increase in price of rice was mainly due to less rainfall in rice-producing states like Punjab, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh.

He, however, hoped that the price of rice would come down, as this is the season for new crop to arrive in the market, ''I have instructed the district-level price monitoring committees to meet every fortnight to monitor the price situation, besides directing all retail shops to display their stock and prices of essential commodities for the public,'' the minister said.

Meanwhile, most of the NGOs in the state have appealed to the government to take up immediate steps to control inflation, which had badly affected the common man.

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