There Will be no Shortage of Food Grains in Near Future, Assures Paswan Amid Lockdown

New Delhi: A day after saying that the government agencies are monitoring the market for price hike and hoarding, Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Tuesday said that the country has surplus grain stock of 539 lakh tonnes and there will no shortage in the near future. Also Read – No Hoarding, No Hike, All Essential Items Being Sold Within MRP, Says Paswan

He also said that his ministry has asked all the state governments to distribute ration to the poor in their states with the objective that no poor will go hungry. Also Read – Father-Son Bonding: When Chirag Paswan Saves Dad Ram Vilas Paswan’s Beard Amid COVID-19 Lockdown | Watch Video

“We have surplus grain stock of 539 lakh tonnes. There will no shortage in the near future. We have asked all state governments to distribute ration to the poor in their states. The Centre has clearly said that no poor should go hungry,” Paswan said. Also Read – ‘Centre Has Grains For 9 Months to Feed 81 Crore PDS Beneficiaries,’ Says Paswan Amid Lockdown

We have surplus grains stock of 539 lakh tonnes. There will no shortage in the near future. We have asked all State govts to distribute ration to the poor in their states. GOI has clearly said that no poor should go hungry: Union Food&Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan pic.twitter.com/459nNK3inD

— ANI (@ANI) April 21, 2020

On Monday he had said that the government agencies are strictly monitoring the market and no, essential items are priced higher than its MRP.

“We are even monitoring vegetables from tomatoes to potatoes or grains such as rice, wheat or pulses. I assure the nation that during lockdown or beyond, all essential commodities would be available across the country,” Ram Vilas Paswan had told news agency IANS.

Talking about the price rise of certain vegetables in the market, he had said that vegetables like potatoes, onions or tomatoes are there in the stocks and hence there is nothing to worry about.

“There is no shortage of vegetables. If in any part of the country, there is an issue of rise in the prices, it could be at the consumption centres due to transportation issues,” he said, adding, “Let me clarify again that there is no scarcity of food, vegetables or grain. Prices of essential commodities including grain are well under control.”