Lok Sabha Question No. 768 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-02-07
Subject: Foodgrain from Central Pool
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: SAUGATA ROY, KANWAR SINGH TANWAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 768

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07 th  FEBRUARY, 2017

## FOODGRAIN FROM CENTRAL POOL

768. PROF. SAUGATA ROY:

SHRI KANWAR SINGH TANWAR:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  criteria  followed  for  release  of  foodgrains  from Central Pool to various States of the country;
- (b) whether any State Government demanded for foodgrains from central pool and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has noticed that a lot of undeserving people including income tax payees are included in the present BPL beneficiaries list of the country;
- (d) whether the Government has taken serious action to implement the Food Security laws in the country, if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether the Government is providing adequate supply and necessary support  to  State/Union  Territory  Governments  for  distribution  of  foodgrains and  essential  commodities  including  edible  oils  through  Public  Distribution System  (PDS),  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  quantum  of  foodgrains, essential commodities supplied to various States/ Union Territories during the last three years?

## A N S W E R

MINISTER OF STATE FOR  CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)

(a) & (b)  The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), which came into force w.e.f. 5 th  July, 2013 seeks to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable  prices  to  people  to  live  a  life  with  dignity.  NFSA  provides  for coverage  of  upto  75%  of  the  rural  population  and  upto  50%  of  the  urban population at the all India level for receiving highly subsidized foodgrains

under  Targeted  Public  Distribution  System  (TPDS).   Corresponding  to  this, State/UT-wise coverage was determined by the then Planning Commission.  With the coverage determination for each State/UT, the eligible households identified by State Governments/UT Administrations are entitled to  receive subsidized foodgrains as per their entitlements prescribed in the Act.  Under the Act, foodgrains are allocated @ 5kg per person per month for priority  households  and  @  35kg  per  family  per  month  for  Antyodaya  Anna Yojana (AAY) households at highly subsidized prices of Re.1/-, Rs.2/- and Rs.3/per kg for coarse grains, wheat and rice respectively.  Under Other Welfare Schemes (OWS), the criteria adopted for allocation to various States/UTs is subject to availability of foodgrains in the central Pool. Apart from this, Food Corporation of India (FCI) also releases surplus stocks of foodgrains out of Central Pool in the open market under Open Market Sales Scheme (OMSS) (D) through e-auction.

- (c)  Targeted  Public  Distribution  System  (TPDS)  is  operated  under  the  joint responsibility of the Central and the State/UT Governments. Central Government is responsible for procurement, allocation and transportation of foodgrains upto the designated depots of the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The  operational responsibilities for allocation of foodgrains within the States/UTs, distribution of foodgrains to eligible beneficiaries under TPDS and supervision over and monitoring and functioning of fair price shops etc. rest with  the  State/UT  Governments.  Under  the  NFSA  and  TPDS  control  order, beneficiaries are identified under two categories namely (i) Antyodaya Anna Yojna and (ii) Priority Households.

TPDS (Control) Order, 2015 stipulates that State/UT Governments are required to  review the lists of beneficiaries every year for the purpose of deletion of ineligible  families  and  inclusion  of  eligible  families.  State/UT  Governments have been requested from time to time to carry out drives for reviewing the list  of  beneficiaries  under TPDS.  The  exercise of deletion of bogus/ineligible cards and inclusion of eligible families is a continuous process and State/UT Governments are to periodically carry out the same.

- (d): As  of  1 st   November,  2016  all  the  36  States/UTs  have  implemented NFSA and being allocated foodgrains as per their entitlement under NFSA.

## (e):

- Yes, Madam. The details are as under:

Foodgrains: Central and State Governments mutually bear the expenditure on lifting and intra-State transportation of food grains and fair price shop dealers' commission.

The  quantum  of  foodgrains  supplied  under  NFSA  to  States/Union Territories during the last three years is as under:

(in thousand tons)

| Year    |    Rice |   Wheat |   Total |
|---------|---------|---------|---------|
| 2013-14 | 26850   | 23253   | 50103   |
| 2014-15 | 30420.5 | 21592.5 | 52012.9 |
| 2015-16 | 28406.4 | 23934.1 | 52340.4 |

The  quantum  of  foodgrains  supplied  under  Other  Welfare  Scheme (OWS) to States/Union Territories during the last three years is as under:

(in thousand tons)

| Year    |    Rice |   Wheat |   Total |
|---------|---------|---------|---------|
| 2013-14 | 3290.78 | 1578.82 | 4869.6  |
| 2014-15 | 3465.98 | 1663.83 | 5129.81 |
| 2015-16 | 3507.75 | 1590.91 | 5098.66 |

Sugar: The Central Government has decontrolled the sugar sector by removing  the  levy  obligation  on  sugar  mills  from  2012-13  sugar  seasons. Under the new dispensation of sugar distribution through PDS effective from June 2013, the State Government/UTs have been asked to procure it from the open market through a transparent system and make it available at the retail issue  price  of  Rs.  13.50  per  kg.  However,  the  State  Governments/UTs  may either absorb the additional cost, if any, on account of handling, transportation  and  dealer's  commission  or  pass  it  on  to  consumers  by including it in the RIP. However, the Central Government is reimbursing fixed subsidy to the States/UT's @ Rs. 18.50 per kg limited to the quantity based on their  existing  fixed  quota.  The  quantity  of  sugar  distributed  by  the  State Government/UTs  under  the  new  dispensation  during  last  three  years  is  as under:

| Year    |   Sugar (in tons) |
|---------|-------------------|
| 2013-14 |       1.21825e+06 |
| 2014-15 |       1.76845e+06 |
| 2015-16 |       2.29757e+06 |

Kerosene: Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India makes  Quarterly  Allocation  of  PDS  SKO  to  States/UTs  under  the  Public Distribution System (PDS) for the purpose of cooking and illumination only as provided under the SKO Control Order, 1993. Further distribution of the PDS SKO within the State/UT through their PDS network to ration card holders is the responsibility State/UT Government. The scale and criteria of PDS SKO distribution are also decided by the respective States/UTs. The allocation of PDS Kerosene during the last three years is as under:

| Year    |   Kerosene (in KL) |
|---------|--------------------|
| 2013-14 |            9086858 |
| 2014-15 |            8975538 |
| 2015-16 |            8685384 |

At  present,  Government  is  not  providing  supply  and  necessary support  to  State/Union  Territory  Governments  for  distribution  of  edible  oils through PDS.

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