Calcutta, Jan. 30: The Centre will set up foodgrain banks close to areas from where starvation-related deaths have been reported, Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said today.

According to a survey conducted by ORG Marg on behalf of the Planning Commission, malnutrition is high in several districts such as Murshidabad and West Midnapore.

Speaking at a seminar here on the public distribution system, Pawar said the foodgrain bank, together with the Bengal government’s own efforts, can help avert such deaths.

Six alleged starvation deaths had been reported from Amlashol in the Belpahari region of West Midnapore between March and June 2004.

Deaths under similar circumstances have also been reported from Murshidabad and the tea gardens of north Bengal over the past few years.

Bengal has received a food subsidy of Rs 26,000 crore for this financial year, Pawar said.

The Food Corporation of India, in conjunction with various state agencies, has started collecting foodgrain as part of the decentralisation of its procurement programme, he added.

About 17 lakh tonnes have been collected already and would be used for public distribution and schemes like school mid-day meals.

At the same programme, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said “an absurd situation” regarding the distribution of below poverty line cards was prevailing in the state.

“There is an absurd situation?. You can include names in the BPL list but cannot exclude any even if someone’s economic condition goes above the poverty line,” he said.

Bhattacharjee asked the Union minister to raise the problem at an appropriate level.

Pawar said all “states have to deal with the problem”.

Chief electoral officer Debasish Sen said he has sought a report from the state government on allegations of irregularities in distribution of BPL cards levelled by the Congress.