NEW DELHI: The food ministry on Wednesday instructed Food Corporation of India FCI ) to allow NGOs and charitable organisations involved in providing cooked food to the poor and needy at Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) rates without going through the e-auction process.This is being done to ensure such organisations involved in the noble service don’t face scarcity of foodgrains. “The details of lifting of foodgrains by such institutions would be intimated to the concerned district magistrates to ensure that the foodgrains are utilised for the intended purpose,” the ministry said in a statement.The FCI sells stocked foodgrains at Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) rates to only state governments and registered bulk users like roller flour mills. But this is done through e-auctioning. These entities can purchase one to 10 tonnes of grains at a time from FCI at the predetermined reserve prices.“This relaxation is being made for NGOs and charitable organisations to pick stock from FCI considering their crucial role in this crisis,” said an official.FCI has so far delivered about 3.2 million tonnes of foodgrains to state governments to meet the requirements under regular National Food Security Act allocation.