Cleaning up FCI's operations

Food distribution needs deeper reforms

The Food Corporation of India (FCI), the country’s apex food management agency, has seldom been known for its efficiency or corruption-free functioning. Yet, the unveiling by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of the presence of a well-oiled bribery syndicate in the FCI has come as a fresh eye-opener, underscoring the exigency for structural and operational reforms in this behemoth public-sector body. This unholy nexus, involving FCI officials, private grain traders, rice millers, and various others, has been unearthed through raids and searches conducted by the investigating body at nearly 100 places across the country under a massive drive named