Lok Sabha Question No. 2987 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-13
Subject: Receipt of Ration Card by the Poor
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: RAM TAHAL CHOUDHARY, VIJAY KUMAR HANSDAK

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2987 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13 TH  MARCH, 2018

## RECEIPT OF RATION CARD BY THE POOR

2987. SHRI RAM TAHAL CHOUDHARY:

SHRI VIJAY KUMAR HANSDAK:

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 people living below the poverty line have not received ration cards  due  to  which  these  poor  people  are  deprived  of  the  schemes  of  the Government of India related to public distribution, if so, the details thereof and the
- reaction of the Government thereto;
- (b) whether ineligible persons are misusing the ration cards to be given to the people  living  below  the  poverty  line  under  Public  Distribution  System  with  the connivance of panchayat/officials of the villages and the corrupt officers; and
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  given  directions  to  launch  a  drive  at  the Central level in this regard and if so, the outcome thereof including the extent to which action has been taken on these instructions?

## A N S W E R MINISTER OF STATE FOR  CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)

- (a)  to  (b):    Targeted  Public  Distribution  System (TPDS) is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and State/UT Governments. Central Govt. is responsible for  procurement,  allocation  and  transportation  of  foodgrains  upto  the  designated depots of the FCI. The operational responsibilities for allocation and distribution of foodgrains  within  the  States/UTs,  identification  of  eligible  beneficiaries/families, issuance of ration cards to them and supervision and monitoring of functioning of Fair  Price  Shops  (FPSs)  rest  with  the  concerned  State/UT  Government.  Under National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), the criteria for identification of beneficiaries/  households  has  been  de-linked  from  poverty  estimates  i.e.  BPL/APL categories, instead  75%  of  Rural  and  50%  of  Urban  population  is  now  covered  to receive  highly  subsidized  foodgrains  through  PDS  under  two  categories  namely: Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH). Inclusion and exclusion criteria of beneficiaries covered under AAY and PHH has been evolved by respective State/UT Governments. Further, due to digitization of ration cards/beneficiaries and seeding of Aadhaar numbers with ration cards under End-to-End Computerization of PDS  Operations  scheme,  State/UT  Governments  have  been  able  to  delete/cancel about 2.75 Crore ration cards during the period 2013 to 2017.
- (c):  This  Department  has  issued  instructions  vide  letter  dated  17-11-2017  to  all State/UT  Governments  inter-alia  requesting  them  to  launch  a  special  drives  to identify and issue ration cards to persons of the weakest section of the society.

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