Grain banks to come up in Bihar

Patna, June 19 (IANS) Thousands of landless poor, mostly Dalits, backward castes and Muslims in Bihar, would get food grains on credit during droughts and floods.Grain banks would be set up in the state under the village grain banks scheme introduced by the central government."The government plans to set up grain banks on the lines of similar banks opened in other states," a government official said."The department concerned has written letters to magistrates of all districts to submit a list of suitable panchayats (local bodies) under their jurisdiction for setting up grain banks," he said.There are 8,471 panchayats in 38 districts in the state, where elections concluded last week.The village grain bank scheme was mooted to provide food grains in chronically food deficit areas run by the Antodaya Annapurna Yojana (AAY) for people from below the poverty line (BPL) families.The main aim is to provide safeguards against starvation during natural calamities or during lean seasons. Each family will be provided one quintal of grains.According to a World Bank report, nearly 40 percent of the Bihar population lives below the poverty line, the highest in India. Its poverty gap, which measures the depth of poverty, is far more the national average.The report said agriculture is the bedrock of Bihar's economy, employing 80 percent of the workforce and generating nearly 40 percent of gross domestic product.