Leh, June 23, 2026: A review meeting of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and other concerned departments was held under the chairpersonship of the Hon’ble Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, to review the status of food grain procurement, storage, distribution and implementation of food security schemes in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
The meeting was attended by Hon’ble MLA Jammu, Vikram Randhawa; Administrative Secretary, FCS&CA, Rahul Sharma; Director, FCS&CA, Tahir Hussain; Assistant Director, FCS&CA, Ruth Mary; General Manager, FCI J&K Region, L. Chatru Naik; Assistant General Manager, FCI J&K Region, E. S. Jagan; District Manager Srinagar, Kuru Lal Meena; Manager Kargil, Tsering Toldan; Manager Leh, G. Mohd, along with other senior officials of the concerned departments.
During the meeting, the General Manager, FCI J&K Region, delivered a detailed presentation highlighting the linkage of FCI divisional offices with revenue districts and the agency-wise storage capacity in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
The presentation covered various aspects including agencies, godowns and their storage capacities, manpower status, wheat and paddy production and procurement, and the current stock position in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
The officials also discussed plans for the modernisation of storage capacities and reviewed the progress of under-construction godowns being developed under the PEG Scheme.
The Hon’ble Minister of State was further briefed on the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan and the monthly average allocation and lifting trends under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS).
Similarly, the Administrative Secretary, FCS&CA, Rahul Sharma, made a detailed presentation regarding the distribution of free food grains under NFSA, organisational structure of the department, functioning of sales centres, ration card coverage and beneficiary statistics. He also highlighted district, tehsil and block-wise mapping of sale centres across the region.
In addition, the Administrative Secretary stressed the implementation of the Ladakh Food Security Scheme (LFSS), online distribution of food grains through ePOS devices, and reviewed the progress, challenges and present status of the Smart-PDS system in the Union Territory.
Addressing the meeting, Hon’ble Minister of State Smt. Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya stressed that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Government of India launched one of the world’s largest food security and welfare initiatives to ensure that no citizen sleeps hungry.
Through the National Food Security Act (NFSA), nearly 81 crore beneficiaries across the nation were provided free ration,
She also stressed the need for resolving manpower-related issues at the earliest. She directed the concerned departments and officials to work in close coordination for improving storage infrastructure, transparency and timely distribution of food grains to beneficiaries.
The Hon’ble Minister further directed the officials to expedite the completion of ongoing infrastructure projects, ensure effective implementation of digital systems under Smart-PDS, and enhance monitoring mechanisms for better public service delivery. She reiterated the Government’s commitment towards strengthening food security and welfare measures for the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
The meeting concluded with detailed deliberations on improving operational efficiency, addressing logistical challenges, and ensuring seamless implementation of food security schemes across the region.
