The Food Corporation of India (FCI) will invite suggestions from the public as well as from stakeholders on restructuring its key functions, to further strengthen and integrate the supply chain of food-grains in the country.
A newly-constituted High-Level Committee (HLC) has been mandated with the task of reorienting its Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations, food storage and security systems.
The committee met on Monday and discussed ways to earn public responses on the matters in a bid to gear up FCI's food-grain management and streamline the public distribution system. Experts and top officials discussed ways to better the structure and functioning of the 1964-founded Public Sector Undertaking.
The HLC's day-long session at the FCI headquarters in the national capital was led by the committee's chairman Shanta Kumar.
The meeting decided to invite suggestions on integration of supply chain of food-grains in the country, suggesting least cost option for moving food-grains, models of scientific storage and up gradation on technology in management of food-grains.
Shanta Kumar sought suggestions of all members of the committee as to how the body should proceed further for its deliberations. The meeting stressed the need for the committee to firm up the list of stake holders with whom it would like to interact at various places.
The meeting also decided to invite private sector firms to make a presentation on "International Best Practices in Storage/handling of food grains" before the committee in its next meeting.
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The HLC members discussed various issues of food grain management and steps to increase the efficiency of FCI. The committee has decided to look into various areas which are an integral part of the food grains management and distribution system.
The move comes in the wake of a major effort to alter FCI's commonly perceived image as a corporation plagued by functional and cost inefficiencies.