Lok Sabha Question No. 2541 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-10
Subject: Criteria for Allocation
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: RAMESH BIDHURI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2541

TO BE ANSWERED ON 10 th   MAY, 2016

## CRITERIA FOR ALLOCATION

## 2541. SHRI RAMESH BIDHURI:

Will  the  Minister  of  CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND  PUBLIC  DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a)   the  details  of  Poverty  Estimate  Standards  to  be  considered  for  coverage  under the targeted Public Distribution System and other welfare schemes;
- (b)   whether the Government has revised the Poverty Estimates of 1993-94; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## A N S W E R

## MINISTER OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI RAM  VILAS PASWAN)

(a):  Government    has  notified  the  National  Food  Security  Act,  2013  (NFSA)  on 10.09.2013, which inter alia provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural population and  upto  50%  of  the  urban  population  of  the  country  for  receiving  foodgrains  at subsidized  prices  under  Targeted  Public  Distribution  System  (TPDS).    Under  NFSA, coverage under TPDS has been delinked from poverty estimates and corresponding to the above coverage at the all India level, State-wise coverage was determined by the Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog) on the basis of National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data for 2011-12 on consumption expenditure.  Under NFSA, the identification of  priority  households  is to  be  done  by  the  respective  State/UT  Governments as per criteria evolved by them.

Foodgrains  are  also  allocated  for  nutritional  support  to  pregnant  women  and lactating mothers  and  children upto 14 years of age, under Integrated Child Development  Scheme  (ICDS)  and  Mid-Day-Meal  (MDM)  schemes,  based  on  requests received from the concerned Ministries.  Further, foodgrains at BPL rates are allocated for welfare institutions such as beggar homes, nari niketans etc., and hostels having two  thirds  students  belonging  to  SC/ST/OBC  @  15  kg.  foodgrains  per  resident  per month, on request of State Governments/UT Administrations.

- ( b ) and  (c):    The  methodology  for  estimation  of  poverty  followed  by  the  erstwhi!e Planning Commission had been based on the recommendations made by the experts from  time  to  time.  The  erstwhile  Planning  Commission  estimated  poverty  from  the Large  Sample  Surveys  on  Household  Consumer  Expenditure  carried  out  by  the National  Sample  Survey  Office  (NSSO)  of  the  Ministry  of  Statistics  and  Programme Implementation.  These  surveys  are  normally  conducted  on  quinquennial  basis.  The erstwhile Planning Commission constituted an Expert Group under the Chairmanship of  Prof.  Suresh  D.  Tendulkar  in  2005  to  review  the  methodology  for  estimation  of poverty.  The  Tendulkar  Committee  submitted  its  report  in  2009  giving  estimates  of poverty  for  1993-94  and  2004-05  which  were  accepted  by  the  erstwhile  Planning Commission.  The  latest  data  of  Large  Sample  Survey  on  Household  Consumer Expenditure  was  collected  by  NSSO  in  its  68 th   round  conducted  in  2011-12.  The poverty  estimates  for  2011-12  have  been  computed  following  the  extant  Tendulkar methodology. Thus, the poverty ratio in the country, based on comparable methodology (Tendulkar methodology) are available for 1993-94, 2004-05 and 2011-12 which are 45.3 per cent, 37.2 per cent and 21.9 per cent respectively.

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