To reduce damage of foodgrains, the government today said it will open seven new quality control cells in the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17) to monitor quality of foodgrains during procurement, storage and distribution.
“We have decided to start seven new quality control cells (QCC) at Guwahati, Patna, Chandigarh, Jammu, Jaipur, Chennai and Ahmedabad in the 12th Plan,” the Food Minister, Mr K. V. Thomas, said after inaugurating the modernised Central Grains Analysis Laboratory (CGAL) here.
At present, the States do not have a very strong quality control mechanism. The proposed new QCCs will help State agencies to ensure good quality grains are procured, stored safely and distributed via ration shops, he said.
Currently, there are eight quality control cells in different cities with small laboratories attached to them for physical analysis of foodgrains.
In 2011-12 fiscal, officers of eight QCCs inspected 1,086 food storage depots, 532 procurement centres, 411 loading and unloading points, 251 rice mills and 1,201 ration shops.