SHIMLA: The Union Government has restored the wheat quota for families living below the poverty line in the hill State of Himachal Pradesh to the earlier level. This was announced by State Food and Civil Supplies Minister Singhi Ram after a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in New Delhi on Monday.

An official spokesman here said Mr. Singhi Ram apprised Mr. Sharad Pawar that the Centre had reduced the State's wheat quota for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families from 3728 metric tonnes to 1795 MT for the current financial year despite the fact that wheat is the staple diet of hill people and its demand had further increased due to failure of the rabi crop in the State following a drought. He pleaded for greater allocation of food grains under the Targeted Public Distribution System in the State to cover all the people effectively under the programme.

"The Union Agriculture Minister has agreed to extend the lifting period of food grains from the Food Corporation of India's Mandi and Kullu godowns as about 2000 MT of food grains could not be lifted due to non-availability of food grains at these two godowns during February this year," said the spokesman.

Mr. Singhi Ram said the State had identified 41,100 additional families under the third phase of Antodaya Anna Yojna in the State and the requirement for food grains had increased manifold due to addition of new families.

The Union Government, he added, had agreed to revise the State quota and enhance its share as per the original demand.

He urged the Union Minister for creation of increased food grains storage facility in the State from 25930 MT at present to 120,000 MT. Mr Singhi Ram also requested the Central Government to include the State in the scheme started for building additional shortage facilities in the North East and Jammu and Kashmir as the mountain terrain of Himachal is similar to these areas.

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