Lok Sabha Question No. 251 (STARRED), answered on 2022-08-03
Subject: Discrimination in TPDS
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Faizal P.P. Mohammed

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.251 TO BE ANSWERED ON 3RD AUGUST, 2022

## DISCRIMINATION IN TPDS

*251. SHRI MOHAMMED FAIZAL PP: DR: A. CHELLAKUMAR:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the discrimination in the Targeted Public Distribution System (TDPS) that has excluded over 90 million eligible people;
- (b) if so, the criteria for inclusion and exclusion Iaid down to identify priority households for TPDS;
- (c) whether the Government is aware that inclusion and exclusion criteria for TDPS does not pass benefits to  single women,  socially vulnerable groups, transgenders, persons with disabilities and those that are chronically ill and if the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to improve inclusion of vulnerable groups in TDPS?

## A NSWE R

MINISTER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY, CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION AND TEXTILES (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED To IN REPLY To PARTS (a) TO (d) OF THE STARRED QUESTION NO.251 FOR ANSWER ON 03.08.2022 IN THE LOK SABHA:

(a) to (d): The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) provides for coverage of upto 75% of rural population and upto 50% of urban population for receiving highly subsidized foodgrains i.e. ricel wheatl coarsegrain @ Rs.3/2/1 per kilogram respectively, under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS); thus covering about two-thirds of the total population of the country which at Census 2011 comes to 81.35 crore: Coverage under the Act is substantially high to ensure that all the vulnerable and needy sections of the society its benefit: Further, at present; against the intended coverage of 81.35 crore; the States/UTs have identified 79.77 crore persons: get only

The TPDS under the Act is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the State Governments: Under the joint responsibility of the Union and the States, the responsibility for identification of beneficiaries rests with the concerned StateslUT: Identification of beneficiaries under the Act is under two categories- households covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) which constitute poorest of the poor, to the extent specified by the Central Government and the remaining households as priority households (PHH) to be identified by the State Governmentsl UT Administrations as per criteria evolved by them, within the coverage determined for the StatelUT: Thus, the criteria for identification of priority households may vary from State to State depending upon Socio-Economic, demographic conditions of the State:

The   Targeted Public Distribution System (Control) Order, 2015 provides that the State Government shall review the list of eligible households for the purpose of deletion of ineligible household or inclusion of eligible households: During the review, the State Government shall take into account; inter-alia; the increase in the number of eligible households or their members due to migration into the State, birth, marriage, change in social and economic status and the decrease in the number of eligible households or their members due to migration outside the State, death, marriage, change in social or economic status. The number of eligible households after the review shall not exceed the prescribed ceiling:

The Central Government has issued advisory, from time to time; to all the States/Union Territories to identify and poor personsl households including vulnerable Sections of the  Society for inclusion under  the NFSA. States are undertaking cleaning up of thei;   beneficiary database that ineligible ration cards deleted and better targeting of rightful beneficiaries is ensured:  Thus, deletion of  ineligible beneficiaries and addition beneficiaries under the Act is a continuous process. get

Further, the Government has issued directions to all the States/UTs under Section 38 of the Act to ensure that all the eligible disabled persons, lepers etc: are covered under the Act:

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