Unique food grain banks rescue starved Bihar villagers

A unique concept of food-grain banks has helped thousands of poverty stricken women in Bihar fight starvation and indebtedness.

At the food-grain banks people open their food grain accounts and deposit food grains when they have a surplus of it so that they can withdraw or even borrow grains in the hour of need.

For borrowed food grains the 'interest' one has to pay is as less as 250 grams on each kilogram of rice, while money lenders and big farmers often 'loaned' one kilogram of grain with an interest of half a kilogram.

in time of need...and the interest waso high. But now everything is fine because we get food when we are starving.

The poor are being benefited," said Kamleshwari Devi, a beneficiary of this unique bank.

At least 35 such grain banks have been set up by women belonging to lower castes and backward tribes across the state with the help of a voluntary organisation, Pragati Gramin Vikas Samiti (PGVS) or Progressive Rural Developmental Committee.

The villagers bought grains with the money provided by the organisation and also contributed to the pool, reassuring themselves the availability of food during trying times.

With little or no interest component, the poor villagers are able to free themselves from the shackles of farmers and lenders.

"It was very difficult earlier. My children cried because of starvation, but everything has changed after we set up the grain bank. Everyone gets food and we are really happy," said Munna Devi, a grain bank operator.

In Sehra village of Paliganj cluster in state capital Patna, villagers have accumulated 1,120 kilograms of rice.