According to recent estimates, millions of people are dying because of malnourished food and hunger related issues. It was even alarming two years ago when BBC has estimated that "India has more people suffering hunger - a figure above 200 million - than any other country in the world".
Here is the story exposed by Indian Media Network CNN IBN show Food Corporation of India (FCI) which take cares of India Food Storage now doesn't have any storage area to protect 168 Metric tonnes of food grain which is almost 1/3 of Indian Food grain reserves, which is estimated to be worth Rs. 28,000 Crores is left open to rot in open environment.
This amount of food amount can be able to feed 2 crores people for over one year.
What is shocking is that the Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar doesn't sound very worried though he admits that the shortage of space is an issue.
"Sometimes, some things happen. I admit that we are short of storage space. Next year things will be better," says Pawar.
CNN-IBN has now found out that over the last ten years the FCI did not have a long term food storage plan. When food reserves were low the FCI gave away storage space for 120 lakh metric tonnes. And when panic hit the ceiling, it began looking for storage space in November 2009.
An internal note of the FCI, now possessed by CNN-IBN, paints a scary picture.
It says the FCI is unable to moves stocks after procuring and that it is not easy to carry out fumigation, thus making preservation difficult.
The note also warns that the food grain stocks stored in the open in Punjab and Haryana may deteriorate.
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