Lok Sabha Question No. 69 (STARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: Public Distribution System
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Sushil Kumar Rinku, Sanjay Seth

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.69 TO BE ANSWERED ON 7TH FEBRUARY, 2024

## PUBLIC  DISTRIBUTION  SYSTE

- *69.  SHRI SUSHIL KUMAR RINKU: SHRI SANJAY SETH:

Will the Minister of  CONSUMER  AFFAIRS, FOOD  AND  PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION av+ten WI+, um Bh mbrf++ fq?wr +it be pleased to state:

- (a) the salient features of the Public Distribution System (PDS);
- (b) the details of the amount sanctioned, allocated and utilized in the last four years in Punjab, Jharkhand and West Bengal under this scheme, district-wise;
- (c) the details of the target set and achievements made so far under the schedule along with  its response within the country especially in the above said States;
- (d) whether the Government is planning to reform the PDS and storage sector within  the country;  and
- (e) if so, the time by which it is likely to be implemented?

ANSWER INISTER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRYI CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION AND TEXTILES (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

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

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF  THE STARRED QUESTION  NO.  69  DUE FOR ANSWER  ON  07.02.2024 IN  THE LOK SABHA.

- (a): The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) ensures coverage upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50% of the urban population for receiving foodgrains (rice, wheat  & coarsegrains). Eligible families  comprise  Priority  Households (PHH) and Antyodaya  Anna Yojana (AAY) families. The Priority Households are entitled to receive 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month and the families  covered under the AAY receive 35 kg  of  foodgrains per  month per family.  Foodgrains under PMGKAY are being distributed  to eligible beneficiaries free of eost.

Keeping in view welfare of the beneficiaries of PMGKAY in terms of accessibility, affordability and availability of food grains for the poor and to  maintain uniformity across the States, the  Government has decided to continue to provide free food grains to about 81.35 crore beneficiaries (i.e. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households and Priority  Households (PHH) beneficiaries) under the PMGKAY for a period of five years with effect from lst  January, 2024, with  an estimated financial  outlay of Rs.

11.80 lakh crore totally  to be borne by Central Government.

- (b):  The Government of  India  alloeates subsidized foodgrains to States/UTs for  monthly distribution  to  eligible beneficiaries. The Statewise  details  of allocation and  Offtake of  foodgrains for  Punjab, Jharkhand and West Bengal from 2020-21 onwards, are at Annexure. The district-wise data is not maintained.
- (c): Allocation of foodgrains to States/UTs under the PMGKAY is made on the basis of State/UT-wise coverage of population determined by the erstwhile  Planning Commission (now NITI Aay9g) based on the data of Large Sample Surveys on Household Consumer Expenditure  published by National Sample Survey Office  (NSSO) in  2011-12, identification  of beneficiaries by States/UTs within the coverage and foodgrains entitlement prescribed under the Act.  The Act further provides that if on the above basis, annual foodgrains allocation to any State/UT is lower than the average annual offtake during 2010-11 to  2012.13 under erstwhile normal Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), the same shall be protected and the State shall be allocated food9rains as specified in  Schedule IV.  As  per  Schedule-IV  of the Act governing PMGKAY, the States/UTs are entitled to 549.26 LMT of foodgrains per annum. Increase/Decrease in allocation  based on inclusion/exclusion  of beneficiaries under the Act  is a continuous process.

(d) & (e):  Due to  continuous technology driven  reforms in  Public Distribution System (PDS), a significant  progress has been achieved at the national level in terms of 100% digitization of ration cards, online allocation modules for generation of monthly foodgrain allocation orders up to the Fair Price Shops (FPS), installation of electronic  Point of Sale (ePoS) devices, computerisation of  supply chain management, online grievance redressal systems and initiation  of  transparency portals. Backed by the  sustained technological  progress, the  Department had implemented One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) plan in August 2019 with 4 states and by the end of June 2022 ONORC was operational across the country..

Presently, this  Department is  implementing the  new  Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) -  'Scheme for  Modernization and  Reforms through Technology in Public Distribution System (SMART-PDS)' for the development/implementation of advanced integrated supply chain software in States/UTs, Under this scheme, provisions have been made to replace existing Servers/Data Centers by leveraging cloud infrastructure.

The scheme also has provision to continue the support of various application modules, portals,  dashboards, integration with other ministries/departments, etc., developed under erstwhile end-tonend Computerization and  Integrated  Management of  Public  Distribution System (IM-PDS) schemes.  This  also  includes  the  continuation of  Data Centre Services procured under IMPDS covering Central System and PDS applications  of State/UTs.

The scheme envisages not only introducing the major teehnological reforms but also  strengthening the  technology-driven infrastructure  in the Public Distribution System (PDS) for  transformative change in the entire  PDS ecosystem. The scheme is to be implemented in collaboration with all States/UTs, with a total cost of Rs. 349.9 Crore for a period of 3 years from 2023-24 to 2025-26.

The SMART-PDS offers a  software suite along with  advanced features and functionalities  for  States / UTs to leverage futurewready IT Tools for  enabling the modernization of  Supply Chain Management at their level.

SMART-PDS intends to continue to sustain the systematic information technology-led reforms brought in the functioning of Publie Distribution System (PDS) operations by overcoming the State level of technological limitations  with  respect to  Server, Software &Technical Manpower, leveraging cloud  infrastructure and  institutionalizing an integrated Central System covering all  PDS related operations across the country.

Food Corporation of  India has undertaken various initiatives to reform storage sector such as under:

- (i) Phasing out of Covered and Plinth (CAP) Storage
- (ii) Third party assessment of warehouses by FCI from Quality Council of India
- (iii) Mechanization of Warehouse operations
- (iV) Construction  of SILO's under PPP Mode
- (V) Warehousing Development Regulatory Certification. Authority (WDRA)

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## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN  REPLY TO PART (b) OF STARRED QUESTION No. 69 FOR ANSWER ON 07.02.2024  IN THE LOK SABHA

## (in Thousand Tons)

|         |           | Jharkhand I   | Jharkhand I   | Punjab   | Punjab   | West Bengal   | West Bengal   |
|---------|-----------|---------------|---------------|----------|----------|---------------|---------------|
|         | Foodgrain | Mt            | k             | @uk      |          | t             |               |
| 2020-21 | Rice      | 1 542.58      | 1565.61       | 0.00     | 0.00     | 1 607.95      | 1 595.30      |
|         | Wheat     | 196.93        | 194.98        | 870.12   | . 466.19 | 2362.67       | 2346.26       |
|         | Total     | 1739.51       | 1 760.58      | 870.12   | 466.19   | 3970.62       | 3941 .56      |
| 2021-22 | Rice      | 1034.94       | 924.82        | 0.00     | 0.00     | 1 607.95      | 1 548.59      |
| 2021-22 | Wheat     | 689.96        | 576.84        | 870.1 2  | 879.69   | 2362.67       | 2268.44       |
|         | Total     | 1 724.90      | 1 501 .66     | 870.12   | 879.69   | 3970.62       | 381 7.03      |
| 2022-23 | Rice      | 1 337.59      | 1301.15       | 0.00     | 0.00     | 2253.30       | 2464.55       |
|         | Wheat     | 406.14        | 406.86        | 870.12   | 659.74   | 171 7.32      | 1 662.79      |
|         | Total     | 1 743.73      | 1 708.01      | 870.12   | 659.74   | 3970.62       | 4127.34       |
| 2023-24 | Rice      | 1400.82       | 930.38        | 0.00     | 0.00     | 2382.37       | 1 889.20      |
| #       | Wheat     | 350.20        | 238.47        | 870.12   | 41 2.20  | 1 588.25      | 1 129.59      |
| #       | Total     | 1 751 .02     | 1 1 68.84     | 870.12   | 41 2.20  | 3970.62       | 301 8.79      |

Note (#) Data of offtake  of foodgrains for 2023-24 is upto January,24.

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