Lok Sabha Question No. 287 (STARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: Public Distribution System
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Kripanath Mallah

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## INISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.287 TO BE ANSWERED ON 9TH AUGUST, 2023

## PUBLIC  DISTRIBUTION  SYSTEM

## *287.  SHRI KRIPANATH MALLAH:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER  AFFAIRS, FOOD  AND  PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION w+tHa wa,  um sh €T&tfjq fqTwr ;Ht 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 three years in Assam under this scheme;
- (c) the details  of the target  set and achievements  made so far  under the schedule along with  its response within  the country;
- (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

1INISTER 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. 287  DUE FOR ANSWER ON 09.08.2023  IN THE LOK SABHA.

- (a): Public Distribution  System (PDS) is  implemented under the  National Food Security Act  (NFSA), 2013 in all States/UTs. The Act  provides coverage upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50'/, of the urban population for receiving foodgrains (rice,  wheat  &  coarsegrains). Under the Act  eligible families  comprise of 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. Under the TPDS, foodgrains were  provided  at  subsidized prices  upto  December, 2022. However, w.e.f.  lst January, 2023, foodgrains under the  Act  are being distributed to  eligible benefieiaries free of  cost for  one year i.e. upto 31.12.2023 under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.

NFSA is operated under the joint responsibilities of the Central and State/UT Governmentsn Central  Government is  responsible  for  procurement, allocation and transportation of foodgrains upto the designated depots of the  Food Corporation of  India (FCI).  The operational responsibilities for identification of eligible benefieiaries/families, issuance of  ration cards to them, distribution  of foodgrains to eligible beneficiaries  and supervision and monitoring of functioning of Fair Price Shops (FPSs), etc.. rests with the concerned  State/UT Government,

- (b): The Government of India allocates  subsidized foodgrains  to States/UTs for  monthly distribution to  all  NFSA ration card holders. The details of foodgrains allocated to  Assam during last three years as well as eurrent year, are as under:

(in Thousand Tons)

|                   |              |         | 2021        | 2021    | 2022-23   | 2022-23   | 2023-24(Upto June 2023   | 2023-24(Upto June 2023   |
|-------------------|--------------|---------|-------------|---------|-----------|-----------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
| Type of Foodgrain | Allocatio In | Offtake | Allocat ion | IOfftak | IAllocat  | IOfftak   | IAllocatio               | Offtake                  |
| Rice              | 1 624.94     | 1484.68 | 1628.01     | 1549,   | M1        | 1 621     | 407.23                   | 372.60                   |
| Wheat             |              | 68,     | 6           |         | M6        | 66.62     |                          | 1 6.60                   |

Further, the details of fund released to Assam towards expenditure incurred on intra-state transportation and FPS dealers margin for  distribution of foodgrains under various schemes sueh as NFSA, Pradhan Mantri Garib

f

Kalyan Anna  Yojana (PMGKAY)  and  Atma  Nirbhar Bharat  Scheme  (ANBS), during last three years as well  as current year, are as under:

In Crore)

| Year     |   Amount released as on 04.07.2023 |
|----------|------------------------------------|
| 2020-21  |                             368.08 |
| 2021 -22 |                             545.75 |
| 2022-23  |                             826.91 |
| 2023-24  |                             238.24 |

- (c): Allocation  of foodgrains to States/UTs under the NFSA, 2013 is made on the basis of State/UT-wise coverage of population determined by the erstwhile  Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog) based on the data of Large Sample Surveys on Household Consumer Expenditure  published  by National Sample  Survey  Office  (NSSO) in  2011-121 identification of  beneficiaries by States/UTs within  the coverage  and foodgrains  entitlement prescribed  under the  Aot. 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 foodgrains as specified in Schedule IV. As per Schedule-IV of the National Food Security Act, 2013, the States/UTs are entitled to 549.26 LMT of  foodgrains per  annum. At  presentl the  States/UTs are  being allocated  46.07  LMTs  of  food9rains per  month (552.80  InMT per  annum). Inclusion/exclusion of beneficiaries under the Act is a continuous process.
- (d) & (e): Under PDS  reforms, ration eards/benefieiaries database have been completely digitized in all States/UTs, transparency portal and online grievance redressal facility/Toll-free  number have been implemented in all States/UTs,  online allocation has  been  implemented in all States/UTs (except  UTs of  Chandigarh and Puducherry which  have adopted DBT Cash Transfer scheme) and supply chain has been computerized in 31 States/UTs. Presently, 100% ration  cards  are seeded with  Aadhaar number at  national level and  almost all FPSs  have been  automated by  installation of  ePoS devices for the distribution of foodgrains in a transparent manner (electronieally) through biometric /Aadhaar authentication of NFSA beneficiaries. One Nation One Ration Card facility  has also been enabled in all States/UTs which empowers all NFSA beneficiaries to seamlessly access their food security entitlements through 'portability' from any FPS of their choice  in the  country. The  Govt  of  India,  States/UTs  and  other  concerned stakeholders are  continuously making efforts  to  improve efficiency and transparency of PDS operations.

As part of the technology  driven TPDS reforms under ONORC plan, the Govt of India has also launched a mobile app namely 'MERA RATiON's The app provides the beneficiaries to  easily know their entitlement detailsl recent transactions  details and check Aadhaar seeding status.

Food Corporation of India has undertaken taken 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) Meehanization of Warehouse operations
- (iv) Construction  of SILO's under PPP Mode
- (v) Warehousing Development  Regulatory Authority  (WDRA) Certification
- (vi) Use of Artificial Intelligence  for grain analysis

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