Delhi approaches Dhaka on food grains movement

New Delhi has asked Dhaka to permit a shipment of 35,000 tonnes of Public Distribution System (PDS) food grains every month to India’s northeastern state of Tripura.

The request was made in view of severe difficulty being faced in food transportation due to the ongoing railway gauge conversion work in the landlocked northeastern region.

India’s Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Raosheb Patil Danve said that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has already taken steps for movement of 10,000 MT of food grains from Andhra Pradesh to Tripura via Ashuganj port of Bangladesh “through Indo-Bangla protocol route.”

“Movement of food grains on this route has commenced and first ship has sailed from Andhra Pradesh,” said Danve.

Significantly, the first ever shipment of 5,000 tonnes of rice has already reached Agartala from Indian state of Andhra Pradesh via Ashuganj port in Bangladesh.

In fact, during a recent visit to Bangladesh, a team of India’s Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ministry has requested for such a facility to allow transportation of 35,000 tonnes of PDS food grains every month via sea route.

Government sources told bdnews24.com that such shipment through the sea route in Bangladesh would ease the difficulty in transport of food grains in the northeastern states.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar during his recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also appealed to increase the connectivity between northeast and rest of India via sea route of Bangladesh.

“There is an urgent need for transit and trans-shipment facility including road, rail and waterways connection through Bangladesh to Eastern India as well as access to Chittagong Port in Bangladesh,” Sarkar told Modi in New Delhi.

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Government of India may persuade Bangladesh government for allowing multi model transportation of goods through Bangladesh with Ashuganj as the Port of Call, including related infrastructure development, Sarkar has said.

The Indian government supplies monthly about one lakh tonnes of PDS foodgrains to the north eastern states, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Assam. Out of this 60 per cent is transported via railways and the rest through roadways.

Mizoram Food Minister John Rotluangliana had met Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan last week and requested him to ensure smooth supply of PDS foodgrains.

People living below poverty line (BPL) category get rice and wheat at subsidised rates via public distribution system (PDS).