What happens when a bank loses public money due to carelessness or due to malpractice? There are repercussions.
Now, consider this. About 57,676 tons of foodgrain stored in Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns between 2013-2018. What happened? Nothing. It looks like 2020 will set a whole new record due to high previous stock and new stocks being added.
The value of the food lost – Rs 92,000 crore — is nearly two-thirds of what it costs the government to feed 600 million poor Indians with subsidised ration under the National Food Security programme.
We are concerned about yield and market linkage and what not. But the elephant in the room is food wastage. And, there is one culprit. The government. No private company can operate with such practices. But the govts can.
India ranks 103 among 119 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2018, sharing the rank with Nigeria.
It’s time food wastage should be seen as a criminal offence and there should be investigation and punishment for culprits. Otherwise, we are just producing more to waste more.
