Central Government Will Buy Manduwa of Uttarakhand | 30 Dec 2022

Why In News?

• On December 29, 2022, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami informed that the central government will procure coarse grains (Manduwa) produced in the hilly districts of Uttarakhand. The Uttarakhand government had sent a proposal to the Union Food and Public Distribution Department to procure Manduwa for the crop year 2022-23, which has been approved by the central government.

Key Points

• The Chief Minister said that this decision will greatly benefit the farmers of the hill districts of the state. In the first phase , 9600 metric tonnes of Manduwa will be procured. This will cost the government Rs 45 crore.
• The minimum support price of Manduwa in the state is fixed at Rs 3574 per quintal. For this, instructions have been given to the Food Civil Supplies Department, Mandi Council, Cooperative Societies, Women and Child Development Department and Education Department to work in coordination.
• Manduwa is rich in nutrition. Now the central government will be able to buy Manduwa from farmers and provide it to children as well as others through mid-day meal and public distribution system. This will not only increase the income of the farmers of the state, but will also provide nutritious food to school children and the needy.
• He said that in the first phase, Manduwa procurement scheme will be implemented at the fixed minimum support price from the farmers of two districts Almora and Pauri under the pilot scheme in the hilly areas of the state. The Manduwa purchased will be distributed through public distribution system in Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar, Dehradun and Nainital.
• The scheme will be operated as follows-
  • About eight lakh families of the four districts will benefit from the National Food Security Scheme.
  • One kg of Manduwa per card per month will be given free of cost.
  • The purchase will be done at 20 purchase centers operating in Almora district and 11 centers in Pauri.
  • It will be distributed to the beneficiaries through the Public Distribution System.
• It is noteworthy that Manduwa grown in the mountainous region of Uttarakhand is a treasure trove of nutrition. It has an important place in the traditional crops here. Despite 85 per cent of the total cultivable land of the state being unirrigated, it can be easily cultivated here. Manduwa is beneficial for people suffering from heart and diabetes disease. Due to the presence of adequate nutrients in it, it is also helpful in protecting against malnutrition.