KOHIMA, DECEMBER 19 (MExN): The Nagaland Department of Food and Civil Supplies have notified the modalities for immediate implementation of the General Household (GHH) Scheme under the ‘Tide Over’ allocation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.
According to the guidelines, district officers will allocate and release food grains to selected Fair Price Shops (FPS) or Procurement-cum-Distribution Centres (PDCs) for distribution to identified GHH beneficiaries. District officers have been directed to submit monthly utilisation certificates, countersigned by the respective deputy commissioners, to the directorate in the prescribed format.
For buffer stock distribution, the deputy commissioner of each district will issue sub-allocations, following which the concerned stockist-cum-handling agent will release food grains to beneficiaries.
After distribution, utilisation certificates in the prescribed format, signed by the respective stockist, will be submitted to the district civil supply officer or assistant civil supply officer and countersigned by the deputy commissioner.
The department said a certain quantity of buffer stock would be earmarked every month at the discretion of the director, Food and Civil Supplies, to meet exigencies.
In rural areas, distribution will be carried out through village council-run FPS. In urban areas, district officers will identify the required number of FPS from among existing outlets to handle ‘Tide Over’ rice for GHH beneficiaries, depending on the number of GHH cards. The list of identified FPS will be submitted to the directorate for approval.
The godown issue rate and payment modalities will be fixed by the department with government approval. The end retail price at FPS will be determined by district officers in consultation with administrative officers, taking into account the godown issue price. These rates will be subject to revision as per prevailing central rates.
Rates and Payment Modalities
The department said that in accordance with Clause 4 of the NFSA 2013 ‘Tide Over’ guidelines, the uniform godown issue price has been fixed at Rs 1,160 per quintal at all PDCs across the state.
The breakup includes Central Issue Price and FPS automation charges amounting to Rs 911.84 per quintal, while the remaining Rs 248.16 per quintal covers stockist handling commission, loading and unloading, transportation and miscellaneous charges.
To maintain uniformity, an average transportation rate of Rs 160 per quintal has been fixed irrespective of distance. However, stockists and transporters will be paid based on actual distance under two categories—Rs 30 per quintal for district headquarters PDCs with Food Storage Depots (Dimapur, Kohima, Mokokchung, Tuensang and Mon), and Rs 1.70 per quintal per km for other PDCs.
The calculation is based on route optimisation, mapping PDCs to the nearest FSD or FCI depot.
Out of the godown issue price, Rs 911.84 per quintal will be directly deposited into the stockist’s account by the concerned district officer on or before the 15th of the subsequent month or after receipt of the consignment. The remaining Rs 248.16 per quintal will be deposited into a dedicated directorate account for payment towards handling commission, loading and unloading, and transportation charges.
Stockists have been instructed to submit month-wise bills for claims related to handling, loading, unloading and transportation expenses. Transportation charges will be calculated based on quantity transported and distance.
District authorities will fix the end retail price at FPS based on the godown issue price of Rs 1,160 per quintal, factoring in transportation, loading and unloading, and FPS handling commission. The department clarified that no additional payment will be made to FPS dealers, and dealers will recover expenses directly from beneficiaries.
