Lok Sabha Question No. 3450 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-12-06
Subject: Guidelines on TPDS
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: A.P. JITHENDER REDDY, LAXMI NARAYAN YADAV, C. MAHENDRAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3450 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06 th  DECEMBER, 2016 GUIDELINES ON TPDS

3450. SHRI A.P. JITHENDER REDDY: SHRI LAXMI NARAYAN YADAV: SHRI C. MAHENDRAN:

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

- (a) whether National  Council  of  Applied Economic  Research  and  Indian Institute  of  Public  Administration  had  identified  shortcomings  in the    Targeted Public Distribution System, if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken by
- the Government to remove the shortcomings;
- (b) whether  Targeted  Public  Distribution  System  and  National  Food Security Act have been effective to mitigate the issues of hunger and malnutrition in the country, if so, the details thereof and if not, thei reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the India State Hunger Index has also been prepared, if so, the  details  thereof  and the  response  of  the Government thereto  indicating the number  of  deaths  in  each  State  during  each  of  the  last  three  years  and  the current year;
- (d) whether  the  Government has issued guidelines to the States regarding  implementation  of  Targeted  Public  Distribution  System,  if  so,  the
- details thereof and the response of the Government thereto; and
- (e) the  percentage  of  rural  and  urban  population  covered  by  TPDS indicating the details of entitlement per month and progress made with regard to implementation of  Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) which is aimed at helping the poorest of the poor?

## A N S W E R

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

- (a):    This  Department  has  been  getting  the  functioning  of  Targeted  Public Distribution  System  (TPDS)  evaluated  by  different  agencies  from  time  to  time. Evaluation studies on functioning of TPDS in selected States has also been got conducted through National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) during 2006-2015. These evaluation studies have revealed certain shortcomings/deficiencies in the functioning of TPDS such as inclusion/exclusion errors and leakages/ diversion of foodgrains,  details  of  which  are  at Annexures-  I,  II  &  III.  The  reports  of  these studies  had  been  sent  to  the  States  concerned  for  taking  necessary  remedial measures to remove the deficiencies noticed in the functioning of TPDS.
- (b):  Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) was launched in 1997 with the objective to formulate and implement foolproof arrangements for the identification  of    poor  for  delivery  of  foodgrains  and  for  its  distribution  in  a transparent and accountable manner at the Fair Price Shop (FPS) level.

National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) provides 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 and for matters  connected therewith or incidental thereto. The Act is being implemented  in  all  the  States/Union  Territories  (UTs)  and  covers  81.35  crore persons, constituting two - third of the population, who get foodgrains at highly subsidized rates. This coverage has been delinked from poverty estimates.

The Act also has a special focus on nutritional support to women and children.  Pregnant  women  and  lactating  mothers  are  entitled  to  meals  as  per nutritional norms as well as to receive maternity benefit of not less than Rs.6,000. Children  upto  14  years  of  age  are  entitled  to  meals  as  per  the  prescribed nutritional standards. Higher nutritional standards have been fixed for malnourished  children  upto  6  years  of  age.    In  case  of  non-  supply  of  entitled foodgrains or meals, the beneficiaries will receive food security allowance.

- (c):     This  Department  has  not commissioned  any  study  to prepare India State Hunger Index. No State Government/Union Territory Administration has reported any  incident  of  death  due  to  starvation/hunger  during  the  last  three  years  or current year.
- (d) & (e): Guidelines relating to Public Distribution System (PDS) are available in National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 and PDS (Control) Order, 2015. Both these  documents  had  been  issued  to  states  and  are  also  available  in  public domain.

All  the  States/Union  Territories  (UTs)  have  adopted  NFSA,  2013.  It provides  for  coverage of upto  75%  of  the rural  population  and  upto  50% of the urban population for receiving foodgrains (rice, wheat & coarse grains) at highly subsidized rates. The eligible families under NFSA comprise of Priority Households (PHH) and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families. Priority households are  entitled  to  receive  5  kg  of  foodgrains  per  person  per  month  at  highly subsidized price of Rs.3/2/1 per kg for rice, wheat & coarse grains respectively. The  AAY  households,  which  constitute  the poorest  of  the  poor,  are  entitled  to receive  35  kg.  of  foodgrains  per  household  per  month  at  the  same  subsidized price.

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## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  OF  THE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3450 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 06.12.2016 IN THE LOK SABHA

## Inclusion/Excusion errors indicated in NCAER Report:

(Study awarded - March,2014) (Report submitted- September, 2015)

|   Sl. No. | State         |   Inclusion Error (in %) |   Exclusion Error (in %) |
|-----------|---------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|         1 | Assam         |                    28.49 |                    70.84 |
|         2 | Bihar         |                    18.38 |                    30.45 |
|         3 | Chhattisgarh  |                    22.09 |                     1.93 |
|         4 | Karnataka     |                    31.24 |                    16.02 |
|         5 | Uttar Pradesh |                    22.16 |                    63.12 |
|         6 | West Bengal   |                    46.6  |                    29.77 |

Source: Author's calculation based on field data.

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## ANNEX- II

## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  OF  THE  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3450 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 06.12.2016 IN THE LOK SABHA

## Consolidated figures of leakages/diversion of foodgrains (rice & wheat) indicated in NCAER Reports.

- A. (Study awarded - March,2014)

(Report submitted- September, 2015)

## NFSA states

SOURCE: Author's calculation based on survey data and data provided by respective state department of food and civil supplies in six states.

| S. o.   | State        |   Leakage (in%) |
|---------|--------------|-----------------|
|         | Bihar        |           16.28 |
|         | Chhattisgarh |            6.95 |
|         | Karnataka    |           17.34 |

## Non- NFSA states

| S.No.   | State         | Card category   |   Leakage (in%) |   Overall average leakage (in%) |
|---------|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------------------------------|
|         | Assam         | APL             |           70.68 |                           39.86 |
|         | Assam         | BPL             |           36.76 |                           39.86 |
|         | Assam         | AAY             |           12.13 |                           39.86 |
|         | Uttar Pradesh | APL             |           35.29 |                           24.43 |
|         | Uttar Pradesh | BPL             |           32.87 |                           24.43 |
|         | Uttar Pradesh | AAY             |            5.13 |                           24.43 |
|         | West Bengal   | APL             |           38.75 |                           25.84 |
|         | West Bengal   | BPL             |           28.19 |                           25.84 |
|         | West Bengal   | AAY             |           10.59 |                           25.84 |

SOURCE: Author's calculation based on survey data and data provided by respective state department  of food and civil supplies in six states.

## (B) (Study awarded - January,2007) ( Report submitted- January,2009) Figures in %age

| States         | AAY   | AAY   | BPL   | BPL   | APL   | APL   | Overall average leakage   |
|----------------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|---------------------------|
| States         | Rice  | Wheat | Rice  | Wheat | Rice  | Wheat | Overall average leakage   |
| Delhi          | 1.63  | 3.72  | 3.34  | 0.00  | 0.00  | 0.00  | 1.45                      |
| Jharkhand      | 3.80  | 16.47 | 0.00  | 8.97  | 0.00  | 54.53 | 13.96                     |
| Kerala         | 18.66 | 0.00  | 0.00  | 19.24 | 0.00  | 13.10 | 8.50                      |
| Madhya Pradesh | 0.00  | 16.81 | 18.93 | 29.14 | 0.00  | 0.00  | 10.81                     |
| Maharashtra    | 0.00  | 9.42  | 0.00  | 17.77 | 0.00  | 0.00  | 4.53                      |
| Uttarakhand    | 0.00  | 0.00  | 0.00  | 29.71 | 0.00  | 4.92  | 5.77                      |

## (C) (Study awarded - May,2006) (Report submitted- November, 2007) Figures in %age

| States        | AAY   | AAY   | BPL   | BPL   | APL   | APL    | Overall average leakage   |
|---------------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|--------|---------------------------|
|               | Rice  | Wheat | Rice  | Wheat | Rice  | Wheat  |                           |
| Rajasthan     | 0.00  | 0.00  | 0.00  | 0.00  | 0.00  | 0.00   | 0.00                      |
| Chhatisgarh   | 0.00  | 0.00  | 0.97  | 42.32 | 0.00  | 78.34  | 20.27                     |
| Bihar         | 0.00  | 41.35 | 0.00  | 46.87 | 0.00  | 0.00   | 14.70                     |
| Uttar Pradesh | 0.00  | 0.86  | 8.32  | 20.67 | 0.00  | 0.00   | 4.98                      |
| Assam         | 1.49  | 0.00  | 44.97 | 0.00  | 83.28 | 100.00 | 38.29                     |
| Mizoram       | 36.21 | 0.00  | 37.44 | 0.00  | 81.12 | 100.00 | 42.46                     |

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## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  OF  THE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3450 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 06.12.2016 IN THE LOK SABHA

## Consolidated figures of leakages of foodgrains (rice and  wheat) indicated in IIPA (Phase-I) Report

(Study awarded - January, 2007) (Report submitted- October, 2010)

|   Sr. No. | State             |   Leakage as Percentage of offtake |
|-----------|-------------------|------------------------------------|
|         1 | Arunachal Pradesh |                              14.88 |
|         2 | Manipur           |                              27    |
|         3 | Nagaland          |                              49.49 |
|         4 | Orissa            |                               6.86 |
|         5 | Tripura           |                               3.24 |
|         6 | West Bengal       |                              26.84 |

## Consolidated  figures  of  diversion/leakages  of  foodgrains  (rice  and wheat) allocated under TPDS as indicated in IIPA (Phase-II) Report.

(Study awarded - March,2007) )Report submitted- February, 2011)

|   Sr. No. | State/UT        | Percentage of diversion/ leakage of foodgrains (Rice & Wheat) allocated under TPDS to AAY andBPL beneficiaries   |
|-----------|-----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Haryana         | 8.69                                                                                                             |
|         2 | Punjab          | Nil*                                                                                                             |
|         3 | Chandigarh      | 13.6                                                                                                             |
|         4 | Tamil Nadu      | 13.64                                                                                                            |
|         5 | Andhra Pradesh  | Nil*                                                                                                             |
|         6 | HimachalPradesh | 5.6                                                                                                              |
|         7 | Jammu &Kashmir  | 4.1                                                                                                              |
|         8 | Karnataka       | Nil*                                                                                                             |

*  Nil  percentage  of  diversion/leakage  does  not  take  into  account diversion from  one category to another category of beneficiaries (AAY/BPL/APL).

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