Record 50 trains enter Punjab in a day to transport grain

With each train’s capacity up to 3,000 tonnes, at least 1.4 lakh tonne grain was moved out of the state

A record 50 freight trains chugged into Punjab on Wednesday to transport wheat and rice stored in the godowns to other states for supply under the Public Distribution System (PDS).

HT Image

With each train’s capacity up to 3,000 tonnes, at least 1.4 lakh tonne grain was moved out of the state.

The fast movement of grain from Punjab is being attributed to the countrywide lockdown imposed to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The central government has decided to give free ration under the PDS for three months under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana. The decision to double the grains to beneficiaries was taken on March 27.

“More than 19 lakh tonne wheat and rice has been moved from Punjab in 759 specials since April 1,” said a senior officer in food and civil supplies department.

“Never in the past has such movement taken place on a given day. The daily average of three years was 16 trains (48,000 tonnes) and in the past six months it came down to 12 (36,000 tonnes),” said Food Corporation of India (FCI)’s regional head Arshdeep Thind.

Besides, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, other states which received grains from Punjab through special trains are Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu.