Lok Sabha Question No. 893 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-02-07
Subject: Violations of PDS (Control) Order 2001 and NFSA 2013
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: KURUPPASSERY VARKEY THOMAS, SANJAY SHAMRAO DHOTRE, SATYA PAL SINGH, RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE, C. MAHENDRAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 893 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07 th  FEBRUARY, 2017

## VIOLATIONS OF PDS (CONTROL) ORDER 2001 AND NFSA 2013

893. PROF. K.V. THOMAS:

SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE: DR. SATYAPAL SINGH: SHRI RAHUL SHEWALE: 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  cases  of  violations  of  provisions  of  Public  Distribution System (Control) Order, 2001 and National Food Security Act, 2013 have come to the notice of the Government during the last three years and the current year  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  including  the  nature  of  such  violations, State/UT-wise  and  the  reasons  therefor  along  with  the  action  taken/being taken by the Government in such cases so far;
- (b) whether the Government has advised the State Governments to link Aadhaar  card  of  beneficiaries  to  the  Public  Distribution  System  to  ensure complete elimination of duplicate beneficiaries across the country and if so, the details and the present status thereof, as on date;
- (c) the  other  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  prevent violation of the provisions of the said Acts and to bring transparency in the Public Distribution System along with the achievements thereof;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  also  noticed  several  gaps  in  the implementation of the National Food Security Act including misclassification of the poor as non-poor and vice-versa  and if so, the details thereof and the corrective action taken thereon, State/UT-wise; and
- (e) whether the National Food Security Act has been implemented in all the States in the country and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor along with the names of such States?

## A N S W E R

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

- (a): There have been complaints/reports from individuals and organizations as well as through press reports relating to untimely supply of foodgrains, leakage/diversion, inclusion/exclusion errors, bogus/ineligible ration  cards  being  in  circulation,  diversion/theft  of  foodgrains,  irregular functioning of FPS,

beneficiaries not getting their entitled quota of foodgrains and allotment of fair price shops in an arbitrary manner, etc. In order to bring the PDS(C) Order, 2001, in consonance with the National Food Security Act, 2013, (NFSA), the Department  has  notified  the  Targeted  Public  Distribution  System  (Control) Order, 2015. Under National Food Security [NFSA] Act, 2013   and Targeted Public  Distribution  System  [TPDS]  (Control)  Order,  2015,  responsibility  of addressing all these issues falls under the purview of   respective State/UT Governments. Therefore, as and when shortcomings/complaints are received by this Department, these are referred to the  State/UT  Governments concerned for inquiry and appropriate action.

A statement indicating State-wise number of complaints on Targeted Public Distribution System [TPDS] received from 2013 to 2016 is at Annexure.

(b)  to  (d):    All  States/UTs  have  also  been  requested  to  seed  the  Aadhaar numbers  in  Ration  Card  database.  The  scheme  will  enable  removal  of bogus/ineligible  ration  cards  and better  targeting  of  food  subsidy,  facilitate availability of foodgrains to intended beneficiaries at Fair Price Shops (FPS), check  leakages  and  diversions  etc.  As  on  24.01.2017,  approximately  73% ration cards have been seeded with Aadhaar number.

To  prevent  the  violation  of  provisions  of  TPDS[Control]  Order  2015  and NFSA  2013, the Department of Food & Public Distribution  is implementing a Plan Scheme on 'End-to-end Computerisation of TPDS Operations' under 12 th Five  Year  Plan  (2012-17)  on  cost  sharing  basis  with  the  States/UTs.  The Scheme comprises of activities namely, digitization of ration cards/beneficiary and other databases, computerisation of supply-chain management, setting up of transparency portals and grievance redressal mechanisms and installation of      e  PoS  devices  at  Fair  Price  Shops  and  issuance  of  foodgrains  through biometric  authentication.  As  on  24.01.2017,  100%  ration  cards  have  been digitized  and  approximately 1.78 lakh e PoS are currently operating at Fair Price Shops.

Further, NFSA provides for two tier Grievance Redressal Mechanism in  each  State/UT  including  District  Grievance  Redressal  Officer  and  State Food Commission. In addition, a system of toll-free helpline numbers has also been  put  in  place  by  State/UT  Governments  for  suggestions/complaints regarding TPDS.

- (e): NFSA has been implemented in all 36 States/UTs of the Country.

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ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.  893  DUE  FOR  ANSWER  ON  07.02.2017  IN  THE  LOK SABHA

STATEMENT:  COMPLAINTS  ON  TPDS  RECEIVED  IN  THE  DEPARTMENT  FROM INDIVIDUALS, ORGANISATIONS & THROUGH MEDIA REPORTS ETC FROM 2013 TO 2016

| S. No.   | State/UT          | 2013   | 2014   | 2015   | 2016   |
|----------|-------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    | 3      | 4      | 8      | 5      |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh | -      | 1      | 1      | -      |
| 3        | Assam             | -      | 5      | 34     | 32     |
| 4        | Bihar             | 32     | 55     | 106    | 81     |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh      | 3      | 3      | 6      | 9      |
| 6        | Delhi             | 37     | 78     | 113    | 91     |
| 7        | Goa               | -      | -      | -      | 1      |
| 8        | Gujarat           | 4      | 16     | 8      | 12     |
| 9        | Haryana           | 11     | 26     | 35     | 34     |
| 10       | Himachal Pradesh  | -      | -      | 4      | 5      |
| 11       | J&K               | -      | -      | 5      | 3      |
| 12       | Jharkhand         | 8      | 16     | 32     | 29     |
| 13       | Karnataka         | 6      | 6      | 16     | 22     |
| 14       | Kerala            | 1      | 1      | 16     | 22     |
| 15       | Madhya Pradesh    | 17     | 7      | 17     | 24     |
| 16       | Maharashtra       | 20     | 25     | 48     | 62     |
| 17       | Manipur           | 2      | 1      | 6      | 4      |
| 18       | Meghalaya         | 1      | 2      | 7      | 9      |
| 19       | Mizoram           | -      | -      | -      | -      |
| 20       | Nagaland          | -      | 3      | -      | 2      |
| 21       | Orissa            | 3      | 8      | 22     | 43     |
| 22       | Punjab            | 6      | 5      | 10     | 7      |
| 23       | Rajasthan         | 18     | 31     | 33     | 59     |
| 24       | Sikkim            | 0      | -      | -      | -      |
| 25       | Tamil Nadu        | 9      | 7      | 22     | 33     |
| 26       | Telangana         | -      | -      | 10     | 1      |
| 27       | Tripura           | -      | -      | -      | 1      |
| 28       | Uttarakhand       | 2      | 8      | 24     | 21     |
| 29       | Uttar Pradesh     | 92     | 137    | 197    | 461    |
| 30       | West Bengal       | 7      | 11     | 32     | 29     |
| 31       | A&N Island        | -      | -      | -      | 1      |
| 32       | Chandigarh        | -      | 3      | 6      | 2      |
| 33       | D&NHaveli         | -      | 1      | -      | 1      |
| 34       | Puducherry        | -      | -      | -      | -      |
| TOTAL    | TOTAL             | 282    | 460    | 818    | 1106   |

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