Lok Sabha Question No. 1616 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-10
Subject: Efficiency of PDS
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Tariq Anwar

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

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1616

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 10TH DECEMBER, 2025

## EFFICIENCY OF PDS

t 1616. SHRI TARIQ ANWAR:

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

- (a) the reasons for  inadequacy of  the current system of storage, distribution and ensuring efficiency of  Public Distribution System  (PDS)  through Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in the State of Bihar; and
- (b) the concrete steps being taken by the Government to ensure food security during disasters like  floods and droughts through cooperatives and to achieve the objectives of the National Food Security Act?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRIMATI NINIUBEN JAYANTIBHAI  BAMBHANIYA)

- (a): Department of  Food &  Public  Distribution  (DFPD) through Food Corporation of  India (FCI) mainly stores wheat & rice after procurement for Public Distribution System  (PDS) operation and to maintain buffer stock.

Bihar is a Decentralized Procurement (DCP) State. The state Government procure, store and distribute foodgrains as  per  their National Food Security Act (NFS A)/Other Welfare Schemes (OWS) requirements. Shortfall arised due to less procurement than the requirements, if  any, is bridged by inducting stock or excess procurement wherein excess stock is moved to deficit  areas.

As  on 01.11.2025, 13.43 LMT  Covered storage  capacities is available with  FCI (Owned 3.45 LMT  &  Hired-9.99 LMT)  and 10.13 LMT  Covered storage capacity is with the State agencies in Bihar for  storing of Central Pool foodgrain  stocks.

The requirement of  Storage capacity depends upon the level of procurement, requirement  of buffer norms and PDS operations for  Rice and Wheat mainly. DFPD continuously assesses and monitors the storage capacity and based on the  storage gap assessment, storage capacities are created/hired through following  schemes: -

1. Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee (PEG)  Scheme
2. Central Sector Scheme (CSS) 2017-25
3. Construction of Silos under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode
4. Hiring  of  godown  from  Central Corporations (SWCs)/State Agencies Warehousing Corporation (CWC)/State Warehousing
5. 5 Hiring  ofgodown  through Private Warehousing Scheme (PWS)
6. 6 Creation of  godowns under Asset Monetization
7. 7 Covered & Plinth (CAP) Hiring  Scheme -2025
8. Modified  PEG scheme for NE  &  Hilly  states with  longer guarantee period  of  15 years

At  present, DFPD  is augmenting its  storage capacity through following schemes in  Bihar state: -

1.  Construction of SILOs under PPP mode
2. Private Entrepreneurs  Guarantee (PEG) Scheme
3.  Asset Monetization Scheme

As per the NFS A Act  2013, the responsibility for  implementation and monitoring of  the schemes of various Ministries and Departments of the Central Government in accordance with guidelines  issued by the Central  Government  for  each scheme, and their  own  schemes, for  ensuring food security to the targeted beneficiaries in their State lies with the concerned State Govt. Therefore, it is  the  responsibility  of  the  concerned state Govt.  to  maintain  a  robust public distribution  system to ensure smooth distribution  of food grains to the targeted beneficiaries.

Further, Ministry of Cooperation (N/IoC) envisages to  create godowns at  Primary Agriculture  Cooperative Society (PACS) level by convergence of various Government schemes i.e. World's  largest grain Storage Plan.  The plan envisages storage  of  locally  procured stocks at local PACs level and distribution  thereafter in the same area.

- (b): The above stated steps of DFPD at Point (a) are in the lines of multi-model  objectives which also include the food  security during disasters to  achieve the objective of  the National Food Security Act.

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