UN World Food Programme and IIT Delhi come together to enhance food safety nets
New Delhi, India: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi come together to develop innovative solutions to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Government's food safety nets. The partnership will create sustainable models that can be replicated across the country to support governments in their work on food and nutrition security.
“This partnership is of strategic importance, as it combines expertise in on-ground implementation with research and development to further strengthen systems that will impact the lives of millions of vulnerable people,” said Bishow Parajuli, WFP’s Country Director in India. “We hope that the evidence generated under this collaboration not only supports other states in India but can also be replicated in the region.”
The partnership will use advanced analytics and operations research to develop practical solutions that support long term strategic planning of procurement, storage and movement of food grains by agencies such as the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Cost-effective supply chain networks for distribution of food grains under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) will also be developed. This will be especially relevant for states like Uttarakhand where maintaining consistent availability and supply of food grains year-round is a challenge due to factors such as difficult terrain, limited availability of transporters, restricted windows for transportation and disintegrated storage spaces.
“This strategic partnership is particularly important as it has the potential to result in advanced solutions for key problems of India and the world. It also manifests our intent to work closely with the government and other public agencies for systemic reforms,” said Professor V. Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi. “I am confident this partnership will showcase the extent of enhancements possible in our public systems when such partners join hands.”
Working together with the state and national governments, IIT Delhi and WFP will collect and analyse important operational data such as current stocks, projected harvest yields and consumption figures to develop TPDS supply chain networks that will ensure a steady supply of food grains in a cost-effective and efficient manner.