New Delhi: Deputy Chief Minister Shri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo called on the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Pralhad Joshi.
Principal Secretary of the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare & Works, Shri Sanjay Kumar Singh, and Principal Secretary Energy & E&IT, Vishal Kumar Dev were also present at the meeting.
During the meeting, the Deputy Chief Minister Shri Singh Deo presented a letter from the Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi requesting an increase in the Custom Milled Rice procurement target for the current Kharif marketing season. Shri Singh Deo specifically sought the Union Minister’s intervention on this matter.
The request stems from the discrepancy between the procurement target set by the Government of India and the actual procurement in the state. While the Central Government’s target for paddy procurement is 50 lakh metric tonnes, the state’s actual procurement has reached 62.54 lakh metric tonnes.
The Deputy Chief Minister has asked for the immediate approval of an increased target to align with the actual quantity procured.
Furthermore, he requested that the deadline for the distribution of Custom Milled Rice be extended from October 31, 2025, to December 31, 2025.
This extension, along with necessary instructions to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to clear the remaining paddy within the extended period, is intended to help Odisha better manage storage and distribution logistics.