Lok Sabha Question No. 1530 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-31
Subject: Inclusion of Beneficiaries under PDS
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Ms. Praniti Sushilkumar Shinde

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

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1530 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31 ST JULY, 2024

## INCLUSION OF BENEFICIARIES UNDER PDS

## 1530 MS. PRANITI  SUSHILKUMAR  SHrNDE

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUtION WIhm WIg, arr  dr  trTfqfinfi6wr ## be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the measures being taken by the Government to ensure all  eligible  beneficiaries are included in  the PDS, including  the recent data on coverage improvements;
- (b) the steps being implemented  to improve  the quality  offoodgrains provided  through PDS;
- (c) whether the  Govemment is  ensuring adherence to  quality  standards and if  so, the  details thereof;
- (d) the details  of the strategies put in  place to address leakages and corruption  within  the PDS:
- (e) whether the Government is ensuring accountability at various levels of the supply chain and if so, the details of  the incidents reported so far across the country during the last five  years; and
- (f) the manner in which  the Government is  addressing technological barriers in  rural areas to ensure the smooth implementation of reforms like direct benefit transfers the initiatives  being taken by the Government to enhance administrative efficiency across the States?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS. FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRINIATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)

(a): The Public Distribution  System (PDS) is operated under joint  responsibilities of  the Central and State/UT Governments. The  operational responsibilities including  identification  of  eligible beneficiaries/households, issuance of  ration cards to them etc., rest with the respective State/UT Government. As per sub-clause (13) of  clause 3  of  the TPDS (Control) Order, 2015, the State Government are required to  regularly review the list of  the eligible  households for  the purpose  of deletion of ineligible households or inclusion  of eligible households

States/Us  have also been advised to utilize  the available coverage under their overall NFS A limits by launching special drives to identify and include most vulnerable  and economically  weakest sections of the population in urban and rural areas who are outside the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS)

(b) &  (c): The  foodgrains meant for  central pool  are procured strictly  as per  the  uniform specification  formulated by the Government of  India. Further,  there is a set procedure/mechanism  to issue foodgrains under the  PDS.  The  Government has issued following  instructions to  State Government/Union  Territories (UTs) and Food Corporation of  India (FCD to  ensure the supply of good quality foodgrains under PDS

(i) Only  good quality foodgrains, free from  insect infestation and conforming to  Food Safety Standards are to be issued under TPDS  and other welfare schemes

(ii) The State Govemment/UT Administration has to  inspect the stocks prior to the lifting  of the same from the FCI godowns

(iii) Samples of  foodgrains  are to be collected from  foodgrains  stocks to  be issued under TPDS jointly by the FCI  and the State Government/U Administration in sealed packets,

(iv) An officer not below the rank of Inspector is to be deputed from the State Government  to take delivery offoodgrains  stocks from FCI godowns

(v) it  is the responsibility of  the concerned State Government/UF Administration to  ensure that during transportation and storage at different stages in the distribution  chain, the foodgrains retain the required quality specifications

(vi) The State Government, where the decentralized procurement  is in operation, should ensure that the quality of  foodgrains issued under TPDS and other welfare schemes should meet the standards under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives)  Regulations, 2011 as amended from time to time

(d) to (f): in  order to  ensure transparency and  accountability in  Targeted Public  Distribution System (TPDS) under NFS A,  Section 28 of  the Act  provides for  periodic social  audits on  the functioning of fair price shops, TPDS and other welfare  schemes, through local authority, or any other authority or body as may be authorized by the State Government. The Central Government may also conduct or  cause to  be conducted  social audit through independent agencies having experience in conduct of such audits

In  addition, Section  29 of  the Act  provides  for  constitution of  Vigilance Committees at the State, District, Block and fair price shop levels for ensuring transparency and proper functioning of the TPDS and accountability of the functionaries in the system.

Further, as part of the technology driven Public Distribution System (PDS) reforms, with the aim to improve the efficiency of the current system and to address various challenges such as leakages and diversion of foodgrains, ration  cards/beneficiaries  database have been completely digitized  in  all States/UTs, transparency portal  and online  grievance redressal facilityfFoll-free number have been implemented in all States/UTs, online allocation has been implemented in all  States/UTs (except UTs of  Chandigwh and Puducheny which have adopted DBT Cash Transfer scheme) and supply chain has been computerized in 31 States/UTs. Further, nearly 5.41 Lakh out of total 5.43 Lanl  Fair Price Shops (FPSs) in  the country, have been automated by  installing ePoS devices for  the  distribution of foodgrains in  a  transparent manner (electronically) through biometric/  Aadhaar authentication of beneficiaries

Since the TPDS is operated under the joint  responsibility, as and when complaints  for  any State/UT are  received in  this  Department from  any source regarding any  irregularities in  the functioning of the TPDS, these complaints  are forwarded  to the concerned State/UF Government for inquiry and appropriate action at their end

An offence committed in violation  of the provisions of PDS (Control) Order, 2015 is liable  for penal action under the  Essential Commodities Act,  1955. Thus, the Order empowers State/UT Governments  to take punitive action in case of contravention of relevant provisions of these Orders

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