Aizawl, March 3 A large shipment of rice from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) arrived at the Sairang Railway Station in Mizoram on Tuesday, officials said.
The shipment, consisting of 42 railway wagons carrying approximately 25,900 quintals of rice from Punjab, will be stored in the newly constructed FCI warehouse in Sairang, the largest facility of its kind in the state.
The arrival was received by Rajya Sabha Member and FCI Mizoram Consultative Chairman K Vanlalvena, along with Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister B Lalchhanzova.
Vanlalvena said that direct rail transport to Sairang will resolve long-standing delays in rice distribution.
Previously, reliance on long-distance road transport often slowed down the supply to various district warehouses, he said.
"This new rail link is expected to streamline the entire process," the MP added.
In the past, freight trains carrying rice were only able to reach up to Bairabi in the Kolasib district near the Assam border.
Speaking on the occasion, Lalchhanzova hailed the event as a "landmark moment" for the state.
"The arrival of rice via rail at Sairang provides much-needed stock security as we head into the monsoon season," he said.
The minister said that the monthly requirement of Mizoram is 97,000 quintals, of which 55,000 quintals are received from the FCI, with 41,000 quintals being provided free of cost.
The remaining is purchased through the Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic) at Rs 830 per quintal, he said.
He said that efforts are currently underway to procure higher-quality rice.
With the operationalisation of the Bairabi-Sairang route, Sairang railway station will now serve as the primary hub for rice destined for FCI warehouses in Aizawl, Lunglei town in south Mizoram, and Lawngtlai in the southern part of the state, according to Lalchhanzova.
The Bairabi railway station will continue to handle supplies for the northern districts of the state, he said.
