UP taking steps to save food grain from rains

Lucknow, June 28 (IANS) Amid reports of food grain lying unattended in the open in many places in Uttar Pradesh, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh Thursday said the government has stepped up efforts to save these from rains but admitted that there were "storage issues".

The minister said the state government was doing all it could to save the grain from being destroyed in rains.

"We are trying our best to ensure that stocked wheat is not destroyed in the rains," the minister said, as he admitted that there "were storage issues".

Instructions have been issued to district magistrates and concerned officials to ensure that the record wheat purchase of 50 lakh tonnes this year was not wasted due to lack of safe storage.

Singh aka Raja Bhaiyya also said that while the government had fixed a wheat purchase target of 42 lakh tonnes, the procurement had already crossed 49.6 lakh tonnes, forcing it to stop further purchase.

Fearing heavy monsoon showers in the coming days, the minister pointed out that the chief secretary has already issued instructions to district magistrates (DMs) to ensure that the procured food grain are safely stocked.