Today, on 08.04.2026, a press conference was held in the Information and Public Relations Department’s press room, chaired by the Honorable Minister of Food and Consumer Protection, Mrs. Leshi Singh. Department Secretary, Mr. Abhay Kumar Singh, Director-cum-Special Secretary, Consumer Protection Directorate, Mr. Vibhuti Ranjan Choudhary, Special Secretary, Mr. Upendra Kumar, and Managing Director, Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation, Mr. Sunil Kumar were present.
At today’s press conference, the Honorable Minister of Food and Consumer Protection, Mrs. Leshi Singh, informed the press and media about the following achievements of the department.
(1) Procurement:
Paddy Procurement:
Under the “Kharif Marketing Season 2025-26,” as of March 31, 2026, the last date for paddy procurement, 36.79 lakh metric tonnes (99.84 percent of the procurement target) of paddy worth ₹8807.47 crore was procured from 540,474 farmers against the target of 36.85 lakh metric tonnes.
It is noteworthy that the last date for paddy procurement was set by the Government of India as February 28, 2026. However, due to the tireless efforts of the State Government, the Government of India rescheduled this date to March 31, 2026.
As of April 6, 2026, 12.06 lakh metric tonnes of rice has been deposited at the State Food Corporation’s storage centers against the total target of 25 lakh metric tonnes for rice procurement. The remaining rice will be procured by the deadline of 15.06.2026.
Wheat Procurement:
For the Rabi Marketing Season 2026-27, the Government of India has increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of wheat by ₹160 from the previous year to ₹2585 per quintal.
Under the decentralized procurement system, wheat procurement in all districts of the state for the Rabi Marketing Season 2026-27 will commence on April 1, 2026, and the deadline for wheat procurement will be 15.06.2026.
For the Rabi Marketing Season 2026-27, the Government of India has set a wheat procurement target of 18,000 metric tonnes for the state of Bihar.
As of 06.04.2026, 2617 metric tons of wheat has been procured from 591 farmers.
Arrangements have been made to ensure that farmers receive the Minimum Support Price (MSP) within the state for the 2026-27 Rabi Marketing Season within the state within 48 hours of wheat purchase.
Lentil Procurement:
The Government of India has set the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for lentils at ₹7000 per quintal for the 2026-27 Rabi Marketing Season.
The Government of India has set a lentil procurement target of 32000 metric tons for the state of Bihar for the 2026-27 Rabi Marketing Season.
Lentil procurement within the state is scheduled to begin on April 10, 2026, and the deadline for procurement is 31.05.2026.
(2) Foodgrain Distribution:
Out of the total 8.55 crore beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act in the state, 35 kg of foodgrains (14 kg of wheat and 21 kg of rice) are being provided free of cost to Antyodaya families (AAY) and 5 kg of foodgrains (2 kg of wheat and 3 kg of rice) are being provided free of cost to each beneficiary of Priority Household (PHH).
Currently, 22.87 lakh families (83.08 lakh beneficiaries) are covered under Antyodaya Other Scheme (AAY) category and 1.87 crore ration card holders (7.72 crore beneficiaries) are covered under Priority Household (PHH) category in the state, i.e. a total of 2.10 crore ration card holders (8.55 crore beneficiaries).
Under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) under the National Food Security Act, 2013, the monthly allocation of 4.60 lakh metric tonnes of food grains provided by the Government of India is being made available free of cost to beneficiaries as per their eligibility.
Status of New Ration Card Creation:
Applications for ration card creation are accepted offline through the RTPS counter at the block level. Applications for online ration card creation are also accepted online at reonline.bihar.gov.in.
To ensure coverage of eligible beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act, applications for ration card creation are collected from time to time through camp-based campaigns.
A total of 19,26,716 applications for new ration card creation have been received in the state from 01.04.2025 through offline and online channels until 02.04.2026, of which a total of 17,74,722 applications have been processed.
Suspected Ration Cards
The Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, has provided data on 57.01 lakh suspected ration cards to the state.
The received data has been made available in the logins of all Sub-Divisional Officers. The concerned Sub-Divisional Officers have found 17.69 lakh ration cards to be correct, and 35.36 lakh ration cards have been identified for cancellation. The remaining ration cards are under verification.
Public Distribution System Shop Vacancies:
A total of 51,268 Public Distribution System shops are currently operational in the state.
According to the district-level roster, there are approximately 4,948 Public Distribution System shop vacancies in the state. Advertisements for 3,783 vacancies have been published, and necessary action is being taken for the remaining 1,165 vacancies.
Toll Free and Helpline No.:
To effectively monitor complaints regarding the provision of food grains to beneficiaries in smaller quantities than the prescribed quantity and the provision of poor quality food grains, the Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation has a Toll Free No. 1800-3456-194 at the state level.
(3) Directorate of Consumer Protection:
The Consumer Protection Act, 2019, contains comprehensive provisions for the protection of consumer interests. To raise awareness among consumers about their rights, advertisements are being published monthly in major and prestigious daily newspapers across the state. Consumer awareness is also being generated through radio jingles and social media platforms (Facebook, X, and Instagram).
Hoardings are also being displayed in each district to raise awareness about their rights.
In light of the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the State Consumer Protection Council and District Consumer Protection Councils have been established in all 38 districts of the state as advisory councils for the protection and promotion of consumer rights. The formation of these councils will encourage public participation in consumer protection.
Actions are underway to install video conferencing facilities in the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Patna, Bihar, as well as in all District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions. Once installed, consumers will be able to participate in case hearings at the Commission from anywhere.
Two additional posts of Personal Assistant and Office Attendant, and one additional post each of Programmer and Bench Clerk, have been created in the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Bihar, Patna, a quasi-judicial body. The creation of these posts will expedite the disposal of pending cases, benefiting consumers by receiving their claims within the stipulated timeframe.
A requisition for filling 76 vacant posts of Assistant Typist, 16 vacant posts of Bench Clerk, and 26 vacant posts of Lower Division Clerk in the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has been submitted to the Bihar Staff Selection Commission, Bihar, Patna. Once the staff are appointed to the Commission, consumers will benefit by receiving their claims within the stipulated timeframe.
As of 31 January 2026, consumers have been benefited by processing 18,507 (eighteen thousand five hundred seven) complaints by the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Bihar, Patna, and a total of 113,171 (one lakh thirteen thousand one hundred seventy one) complaints by all the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions of Bihar.
(4) Oil and Natural Gas (LPG)
In the face of the current global energy crisis, domestic gas cylinders are being made available as per the demand for domestic gas cylinders.
After the gas booking is registered, domestic gas cylinders are being delivered to homes within three to four days as before. Consumers do not need to rush to gas agencies unnecessarily.
There is no need to visit the gas agency to get eKYC done for domestic gas cylinders; consumers can do the same from the comfort of their homes. Indian OilONE, HelloBPCL. You can also complete your eKYC yourself through the HP PAY mobile app.
A statewide raid campaign is being conducted against illegal storage, black marketing, and commercial use of domestic gas cylinders.
To curb the black marketing and hoarding of petroleum products within the state, a total of 25,560 inspections have been conducted, including 12,792 inspections at gas agencies and 12,668 inspections at other suspicious locations.
Based on these inspections, a total of 1662 gas cylinders have been seized and 114 FIRs have been registered in the state.
In light of a letter from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, all district officials have been directed at the departmental level to prioritize the use of 70% of the LPG allocated for commercial use as commercial LPG.
Control Room:-
In order to address the difficulties faced by the public in light of the oil and natural gas (LPG) problems, a state-level control room has been established under the Food and Consumer Protection Department, Bihar, Patna. It has been operational daily from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM since March 13, 2026.
During this period, the public is reporting their problems or difficulties to the control room’s telephone number: 0612-2233050 and to the control rooms established in all districts of the state.
The Food and Consumer Protection Department is ensuring the resolution of complaints/problems received in the control room by forwarding them to the relevant authorities.
As of April 5, 2026, a total of 5,416 complaints have been received in the control room established in the Food and Consumer Protection Department. Of these, 4,333 have been resolved, and the remaining 1,083 complaints are being resolved.
Domestic Piped Natural Gas (PNG):-
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), Government of India, has authorized six oil marketing companies under the “Bihar City Gas Distribution Policy-2025” (CGD Policy-2025) to distribute PNG and CNG in all 38 districts of Bihar.
Domestic PNG gas connections are being provided by GAIL in Patna district, HPCL in Banka district, THINK GAS in Begusarai district, Indian Oil-Adani Gas Pvt. Ltd. (IOAGPL) in Gayaji and Nalanda districts, BPCL in Darbhanga, Gopalganj, Madhubani, West Champaran, East Champaran, Shivhar, Sitamarhi, Siwan, and Supaul districts, and IOCL in the remaining 24 districts of the state.
Interested consumers can register online for free by visiting the official website of the respective City Gas Distribution (CGD) company in their district.
To date, a total of 99,346 households in the state have been made live with PNG gas connections, and 55,025 are ready for connection.
Today, PNG is being supplied to over 1 lakh households in Bihar. Infrastructure has been installed in approximately 3.39 lakh households, and action is underway to make them operational as soon as possible.
In the past year, the pace of PNG connections in Bihar has been around 3,000-3,500 per month, which has increased to 8,000 per month by March 2026.
Pipeline gas availability has been ensured in 17 districts of the state (Patna, Begusarai, Gayaji, Nalanda, Purnia, Aurangabad, Rohtas, Bhojpur, Madhepura, Lakhisarai, Munger, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Saran, Samastipur, Jamui, and Sheikhpura).
CGD infrastructure has been installed in 12 districts (Banka, Katihar, Kaimur (Bhabua), Buxar, Saharsa, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Shivhar, Sitamarhi, East Champaran, West Champaran, and Siwan), and efforts are underway to operationalize it through pipeline or decompression units (DCUs) as soon as possible.
All necessary steps are being taken at the department level to expedite the distribution of PNG gas connections in the state.
The department has introduced the “Bihar City Gas Distribution Policy-2025” (CGD Policy-2025) to simplify the process of land availability, lease transfer, road clearing, and No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the concerned City Gas Distribution (CGD) company.
PNG is a safe, economical, and convenient fuel. The state government is making efforts to promote its widespread use in the state.