Lok Sabha Question No. 2248 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-12
Subject: Reservation in Allotment of Ration Shops
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Ramashankar  Vidharthi Rajbhar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.2248

TO BE ANSWERED ON 12TH MARCH, 2025

## RESERVATION IN ALLOTMENT  OF RATION SHOPS

## t2248. SHRI RAMASnANKAR RAJBHAR:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government fblfils  the reservation quota of SC, ST, OBC categories in the allotment  of ration  shops and if  so, the details thereof;
- (b) if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether any honorarium is paid to ration shop owners and if  so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the measures taken by the Government to check the quality of foodgrains available at ration  shops?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)

(a) to (c): The Targeted Public Distribution  System (TPDS) is governed under National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 and it is operated under the joint  responsibility of the Central and the State/Union Territory  (UT)  Governments. The operational responsibilities for  allocation  of  food  grains within  the  States/ UTs,  identification of  eligible  beneficiaries, issuance of  ration  cards to  them,  distribution of  food  grains to  the  eligible beneficiaries under TPDS, issuance of  license to  the Fair  Price  Shop dealers, supervision over and monitoring of functioning  of Fair Price Shops (FPSs) etc. rest with  the concerned State/UT Governments.

Clause 9  (4)  of  the Targeted Public Distribution  System (Control)  Order, 2015 provides that the State Government shall accord preference to public  institutions  or public bodies such as panchayats, self help groups, cooperative societies in  licensing of fair  price shops and management of fair price shops by women or their collectives.

## ORIGINAL IN HINDI

The Central Government has limited  role in determining the actual rate of fair price shop dealers' margin/ commission/ honorarium etc. The Central Government only provides the assistance to  States/UTs for  meeting the expenditure towards intra-State movement & handling of  foodgrains and fair price shop dealers' margin under the NFS A,  in accordance with the provisions of Food Security (Assistance to State Governments) Rules, 2015, which inter-alia provides for  norms of  expenditure and pattern of  central sharing. In  order to ensure viability  of Fair Price Shops, the norms of FPS Dealers margin were enhanced w.e.f. April,  2022 as per the details given below:

| Category of States/UTs   | Component of FPSI ldealers' margin   | Pre-revised llorllls (Rate in rupee per quintal)   | Revised norms (Rate in rupee per quintal)   | Central share (in percentage)   |
|--------------------------|--------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| G,'',I C,t,g'y           | Basic margin                         |                                                    |                                             |                                 |
| G,'',I C,t,g'y           | Additional margin                    |                                                    |                                             |                                 |
| Specialcategory          | Laslc rnargln                        |                                                    |                                             |                                 |
| Specialcategory          | (                                    |                                                    |                                             |                                 |

Clause 9 (7) of the TPDS (Control)  Order, 2015 also allow the State Government to fix  an amount as the fair  price  shop owner's margin, which  shall be periodically  reviewed for  ensuring sustained viability  of the fair price shop operations.

Further, State Governments are free to fix  the actual rates, which  can be higher than the norms sr)ecified in  the Food Security (Assistance to State Governments) Rules, 2015. Central  assistance  will be  limited to  the  rates  specified in  the  Rules  or  the  actual  average rates for the State as a whole, at which the expenditure was actually incurred by the State Government, whichever is lower.

(d): The Central Government has formulated and issued a Quality  Control Manual, in order to maintain the quality  standards of  foodgrains from  procurement to its distribution  to the  eligible  beneficiaries through various social  security programmes. State Level Committees have been constituted to  deliberate on quality  related issues regarding  food grains procured and stored for PDS. The Committee will  coordinate on such matters and resolve the quality  related issues, if  any highlighted  during  the meeting.

88888