Lok Sabha Question No. 3477 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-10
Subject: Supply of Commodities at Ration Shops
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Manne Srinivas Reddy, Geetha Viswanath Vanga, Komati Reddy Venkat Reddy, Kotha Prabhakar  Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3477

## TO BE ANSWERED  ON {orH AUGUST, 2O2{

## SUIPPLY  OF GOMMODITIES  AT RATION SHOPS

3477. SHRI MANNE SRINIVAS REDDY: SHRIMATI  VANGA GEETHA VISWANATH: SHRI KOMATI REDDY VENKAT REDDY: SHRI KOTHA PRABHAKAR  REDDY:

Will the Minister of GONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND  pUBLtc

DISTRaBUTION  rTttrrar arrd, ur<-a st{ Er&f,fr6.  fff{ur tr+ be pteased  to state:

- (a) the details of the steps taken/proposed  to be taken to review/ensure adequate and quality supply of essential commodities  at ration shops and to speed up the process  of issuing new family cards with digitisation facilities of cards instead  of manual  to supply ration itemsl
- (b)  the steps taken/proposed  to be taken to impress upon coperative societies  to disburse loans to eligible borrowers from self help groups, small traders, people with disabilities and women entrepreneur groups seeking assistance during the pandemic while supplying ration items through Fair Price Shops (FPS), the details thereofl
- (c)  the details of the necessary  steps taken on the suggestions  and implementation for digitisation of the public distribution  system,  bringing in the FPS that were under the purview of various departments  under one department  and shifting the FPS from rented spaces to their own premises during the last five years and current year til! date and funds incurred thereon, State.wise including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; and
- (d) the steps details of the being taken for providing basic amenities to women staff, strengthening the  warehouses, online monitoring of movement of paddy and addressing  issues related to errors in weighing of goods sold till date, State/UT-wise?

AilSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY  OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT  AND GONSUMER AFFATR$, FOOD & PUBLTG D|STRIBUTION

(saDHvr NTRANJAN JYOTI)

.2t-

- (a): NFsAr 2o{3 is an Act to provide food and nutritiona!  security in human life cycre approach,  by ensuring access to adequate quantity of qriality food at affordabte  prices to peopte  to live a life with dignity and for rnatters  connected  therewith. !t is implemented  across  the country. under PDS reforms,  all ration cards database have been digitized.  presentty,  all ration cards are issued  by respective  states/urs through computerization process.
- (b): AII operationar responsibirities  rike ricensing of fair price shop dealers and their monitoring/management  ries with the respective states/urs. As such, no provisions  exist under NFSA to disburse toans to eligible borrowers from self hetp groups, smatt traderc, people with disabilities and women entrepreneur  groups seeking assistance during the pandemic whire supprying ration items through Fair  price  shops (Fps).
- (c): Under PDS retorms,  so far, about 4.9E lakh (92.7a/ol out of 5,3g lakh of Fair Price shops (Fpss) across the country have been automated by installing ePos devices for transparent distribution of foodgrains to beneficiaries. Presenfly,  pDS  operations are governed under NFSA provisions/norms. Further, no provision exists under ilFsA to develop such type of FPS infrastructure.

(d): Basic amenities  to women staff are provided  in accordance with the taid down guidelines.

For strengthening of warehouses, FGt continuously assess and monitors the storage capacity based on the storage gap assessment, storage capacities are created/hired,  through various schemes, i.e., Private  Entrepreneurs Guarantee (pEG) scheme, Gentral sector scheme (GSS),  Gonstruction  of StLO,s under  ppp  mode, Hiring of godowns from GWGs/SWGs,  State Agencies,  private  Warehousing  Scheme  (pWS),

Further,  for online monitoring  of movement  of foodgrains within the states/urs, the supply chain management  is computerized  in almost all states/UTs. This Department has also advised all the states/UTs  to integrate the electronic  weighing  scates/machines  with epos devices at all FPss for transparent weighment of foodgrains  for distribution  to beneficiaries.