Lok Sabha Question No. 349 (STARRED), answered on 2018-03-20
Subject: PDS Supply
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: HARI NARAYAN RAJBHAR

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 349

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 20 TH  MARCH, 2018 PDS SUPPLY

## *349.   SHRI HARINARAYAN RAJBHAR:

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  the  Government  is  making  adequate  supply  of  foodgrains and essential commodities including edible oils through the Public Distribution System (PDS) and providing required assistance to Uttar Pradesh and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of the quantum of foodgrains and essential commodities supplied to Uttar Pradesh during the last five years;
- (c) the measures undertaken by the Government to provide rice/wheat at subsidised rates to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) population in the country along with the quota allocated to Uttar Pradesh during the last five years, year-wise; and
- (d) whether the Government has reduced the quota of foodgrains under PDS as well as the supply thereof to Uttar Pradesh and other States, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor?

A N S W E R

MINISTER OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI RAMVILAS PASWAN)

(a)

to (d): A Statement is laid on the table of the House.

***

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF  STARRED QUESTION NO. 349 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 20 TH   MARCH  2018  IN  THE  LOK SABHA

(a) to (d):  The commodities allocated by Government of India through Public Distribution System are foodgrains that include rice, wheat & coarsegrains in addition to sugar and kerosene oil.

Department  of Food  &  Public Distribution makes  allocation of foodgrains  to  the  States/UTs  under  Targeted  Public  Distribution  System (TPDS) in terms of National Food Security Act, 2013.  The Act provides for coverage  of  upto  75%  of  the  rural  population  and  upto  50%  of  the  urban population for receiving highly subsidized foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), thus covering about two-thirds of the population or atleast 81.34 crore persons, at Census 2011 population. Corresponding to the  above coverage at All India level, State-wise percentage coverage has been determined by the then Planning Commission (now Niti Aayog). Under the Act eligible households, which comprise of Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households and priority households, are entitled to receive foodgrains @ Rs 1/2/3 per kg for coarse grain/wheat/rice respectively. While priority households  are  entitled  to  receive  5  kg  per  person  per  month,  AAY households, which constitute the poorest of the poor, continue to receive 35 Kg  of  foodgrains  per  household  per  month.    Allocation  of  foodgrains  to States/UTs are made based on the percentage coverage as determined for them,  beneficiaries  identified  by  each  State/UT  and  scale  of  distribution indicated above.

The Central Government decontrolled the sugar sector by removing the levy obligation on sugar mills from 2012-13 sugar season. After deregulation  of  sugar  sector,  a  new  dispensation  for  distribution  of  sugar under PDS was put in place w.e.f. 01.06.2013 wherein State Government/UT Administrations  were  required  to  procure  sugar  from  the  open  market through transparent system. The Central Government had been reimbursing a fixed  sugar  subsidy  @  Rs.  18.50  per  kg  to  the  participating  States/UTs towards distribution of sugar under Public Distribution System (PDS) to the targeted population covering BPL population and all the population of North Eastern States /Special Category States/Hilly states and Island Territories as per 2001 Census to make sugar available at the retail issue price of is Rs. 13.50  per  kg.    The  Government  of  India  has  reviewed  the  Sugar  Subsidy Scheme  in  May  2017  and  decided  that  the  existing  system  of  sugar distribution through PDS may be continued with restrictive coverage of AAY families only. They will be provided @ 1 kg of sugar per AAY family per month for  which  subsidy  of  Rs.  18.50  per  kg  will  continue  to  be  provided  by  the Central Government  to  participating  States/ UTs.  The  States/UTs  are also allowed   either  to  absorb  the  additional   cost   on   account   of   handling, transportation  and  dealers'  commission  or  pass  it on  to the  consumer by

...2/-

adding it to the Retail Issue Price (RIP) of Rs.13.50 per kg under the Public Distribution  System  (PDS).    The  revised  guidelines  for  reimbursement  of sugar  subsidy  to  State/UTs  for  distribution  of  sugar  under  PDS  for  AAY families have been issued to all States/UTs in June 2017.  The Government of Uttar  Pradesh  has  not  yet  given  its  consent  towards  participation  in  the sugar  subsidy  scheme.  The  annual  admissible  quota  of  sugar  of  Uttar Pradesh  state  under  the  sugar  subsidy  scheme  for  AAY  families  will  be 49,134 MT.

Ministry  of  Petroleum  &  Natural  Gas  makes  allocation  of  PDS Kerosene  to  States/UTs  on  quarterly  basis  for  the  purpose  of  cooking  and lighting only. Further distribution of the PDS Kerosene within the States/UTs under PDS network to various categories of ration card holders / consumers is  made  by  the  concerned  State/UT.    Scale  and  criteria  of  distribution  are also decided by the respective State/UT. The allocation of PDS Kerosene of the States/UTs including Uttar Pradesh has been rationalized on the basis of factors  such  as  increase  in  domestic  LPG/PNG  connections,  increase  in electricity  coverage,  non-lifting  of  PDS  kerosene  quota  by  the  concerned States/UTs etc.

The details of foodgrains (rice and wheat), allocated to Uttar Pradesh during the last five years is as under:

|   Sl. No | Year    |   Foodgrain allocated (In LMT) |
|----------|---------|--------------------------------|
|        1 | 2013-14 |                          63.41 |
|        2 | 2014-15 |                          72.75 |
|        3 | 2015-16 |                          74.72 |
|        4 | 2016-17 |                          93.52 |
|        5 | 2017-18 |                          97.26 |

The  sugar  distributed  in  PDS  under  sugar  subsidy  scheme  by  the Government of Uttar Pradesh from the year 2013-14 to 2016-17 is as under-

|   Sl. No | Year    | Sugar distributed (In MT)   |
|----------|---------|-----------------------------|
|        1 | 2013-14 | 3,19,475.90                 |
|        2 | 2014-15 | 4,11,216.00                 |
|        3 | 2015-16 | 4,10,639.71                 |
|        4 | 2016-17 | 3,81,819.07                 |

During the year 2013-14 to 2017-18 allocation of following quantity of kerosene  has  been  made  to  Uttar  Pradesh  by  Ministry  of  Petroleum  and Natural Gas:

|   Sl. No | Year    | Kerosene distributed (In KL)   |
|----------|---------|--------------------------------|
|        1 | 2013-14 | 15,90,000                      |
|        2 | 2014-15 | 15,89,388                      |
|        3 | 2015-16 | 15,57,600                      |
|        4 | 2016-17 | 11,68,212                      |
|        5 | 2017-18 | 09,11,208                      |