Lok Sabha Question No. 847 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Leak Proof Delivery of  Foodgrains under the PDS
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Brijmohan Agrawal

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

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 847

TO BE ANSWERED ON 4TH FEBRUARY, 2026

## LEAK PROOF DELIVERY OF FOODGRAINS UNDER THE PDS

## 847. SHRI BRIJMOHAN AGRAWAL:

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

- (a): the details of  the systemic challenges currently affecting the leak-proof delivery of foodgrains within  the  Public Distribution System network including the measures being undertaken by the Government to address potential gaps in the supply chain;
- (b): the details of  the specific quality control protocols that are in  place to  ensure that foodgrains distributed under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) consistently meet the Fair Average Quality  (FAQ)  standards along with  the  number of  complaints/violations have been recorded by the department for the delivery of substandard quality to the beneficiaries;
- (c): the details of the steps taken by the Government to strengthen the monitoring framework at Fair Price Shops to prevent  the distribution of non-standard stocks to beneficiaries; and
- (d): the  details regarding the  reach of  the  Pradhan Mantri  Garib  Kalyan Anna  Yojana (PMGKAY)  including the total number of beneficiaries and the financial outlay utilized since its inception in the Country, State/UT-wise,  especially in Chhattisgarh?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS,

## FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBH Al BAMBHANIYA)

- (a): As part of the Government's digital initiatives to enhance reach, effectiveness and leakproof delivery of foodgrains through Public Distribution System (PDS), the ration card/beneficiary database has been 100% digitised across all  States and Union  Territories, with  99.9% ration cards Aadhaar-seeded and 99.2% beneficiaries  aadhaar seeded,

This has enabled beneficiaries to access their  full  entitlements at Fair Price  Shops through ePoS devices using their Ration Card Number or Aadhaar Number with  biometric authentication. Further, initiatives such as One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC), Mera Ration App and Anna Sahayata have expanded the reach of food security benefits, thereby improving the effectiveness of PDS

(b)  &  (c): The Department has formulated and issued a Quality Control Manual to  uniformly maintain the quality  standards of  foodgrains from procurement to  its distribution to  the eligible beneficiaries  through various social security programmes  of OoI.

Further, Storage and Research Division of  the Department is also mandated to undertake quality control activities with respect to the foodgrains stocks meant for  central pool and its monitoring during procurement, storage as well as distribution to the eligible beneficiaries  through various social security  programmes. These activities  are undertaken on a regular basis.

Targeted Public  Distribution  System (TPDS)  under National  Food Security Act  (NFSA), 2013 is operated under the joint  responsibility  of the Central and the State/ Union Territory (UT) Governments.  The operational responsibilities for  allocation of foodgrains within  the States/ UTs, identification of eligible beneficiaries, issuance of ration cards to them, distribution of foodgrains to eligible  beneficiaries  under of  TPDS,  issuance of  license to Fair  Price Shop dealers, the supervision over and monitoring  of functioning of  FPSs of  etc. rest with  the concerned State/UT Governments. Accordingly, as and when any type of complaints/grievances  related to TPDS are received in this Department from  any  source, they  are sent to  concerned State/ UT  Governments and Division Section of the Department for  inquiry  and appropriate action.

Further, specific complaint cases related to  the distribution of  substandard wheat are not maintained or compiled by the Department. Moreover, 30014 complaints/grievances related to TPDS sent to the States/UTs Government from January, 2021 to December, 2025.

Union Government has laid  down a robust mechanism to  seamlessly distribute the food grains under PNIGKAY to  around 80 Crore Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)  beneficiaries through Fair Price Shops in all the State/UTs.

(d): Statement indicating the State/UT-wise number of beneficiaries covered under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) during last years and present year in the country is at Annexure-I:

The  Department reimburses the expenditure incurred by  States, that  have opted for Decentralized Procurement (DCP) mode (including Chhattisgarh) for distribution of food-grains to the beneficiaries of  Central Schemes as per allocation made by  Government of  India. The difference between Economic Cost and Central Issue Price (CIP), at which foodgrains are issued to States, is reimbursed to Food Corporation  of  India  (FCI)  and DCP  States as food  subsidy. The food subsidy released to DCP States &  FCI is made as per budgetary allocation made by M/o  Finance. State wise funds are not allocated by  M/o  Finance. Further, funds are also released by  Food

Corporation of  India (FCI) to the States for the quantum  of food-grains handed over to them by States for  Central Pool. The two  food subsidy schemes (Food Subsidy to FCI and Food Subsidy to DCP  States) have been subsumed as Pradhan Mantri  Garib  Kalyan  Anna  Yojana  (PMGKAY). The detail of funds released to DCP States (including Chhattisgarh) and FCI as food subsidy from FY 2020-21 to till date is at Annexure-II

ScSeSc SeqeSc

The Statement indicating the State/UT-wise number of beneficiaries  covered under the PMGKAY during  last years and present year in the country

| SI. No.   | IStates/UTs   | Actual number of beneficiaries covered (in lakh   | Actual number of beneficiaries covered (in lakh   |
|-----------|---------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
|           |               | As on 31.03.2025                                  | As on 31.12.2025                                  |
|           | mmm           | 268.22                                            | 268.22                                            |
| 2         | mr mR         | 8.44                                              | 8.44                                              |
| 3         | ms            | 247.98                                            | 247.98                                            |
| 4         | mI            | 871.16                                            | 871.16                                            |
| 5         | s             | 200.77                                            | 200.77                                            |
| 6         | me            | 72.78                                             | 72.78                                             |
| 7         | no            | 5.32                                              | 5.32                                              |
| 8         | ml            | 365.84                                            | 365.84                                            |
| 9         | ma            | 126.49                                            | 126.49                                            |
| 10        | I             | 29.88                                             | 29.88                                             |
| 11        | Fharkhand     | 264.19                                            | 264.19                                            |
| 12        | FaT;aT        | 40 1 .93                                          | = 401.93                                          |
| 13        | me            | 154.80                                            | 154.80                                            |
| 14        | --t a         | 534.79                                            | 534.79                                            |
| 15        | a             | 700.17                                            | C 700.17                                          |
| 16        | Ma            | 20.87                                             | 20.87                                             |
| 17        | me            | 21.46                                             | 2 1 .46                                           |
| 18        | nz            | 7.05                                              | 7.05                                              |
| 19        | Rma           | 14.05                                             | 14.05                                             |
| 20        | m(            | 325.17                                            | 325.17                                            |
| 21        | ml            | 141.45                                            | 141.45                                            |
| 22        | EMa           | 440.0 1                                           | 440.0 1                                           |
| 2 3       | mc            | 3.81                                              | 3.81                                              |
| 24        | a             | 364.12                                            | 364.12                                            |
| 25        | He            | 191 .70                                           | 191 .70                                           |
| 26        | mr            | 24.43                                             | 24.43                                             |
| 27        | a             | 1498.70                                           | 1498.70                                           |
| 28        | [             | 61 .94                                            | 61 .94                                            |
| 29        | N7ma          | 601.84                                            | 60 1 .84                                          |
| 3 0       | mA            | 0.6 1                                             | 0.6 1                                             |
| 31        | ml            | 2,69                                              | 2.69                                              |
| 3 2       | a             | 0.22                                              | 0.22                                              |
| 33        | l D           | 2.99                                              | 2.99                                              |
| 34        | ml in         | 6.34                                              | 6.34                                              |
| 3 5       | mJ            | 72.41                                             | 72.41                                             |
| 3 6       | ma            | 1.44                                              | 1.44                                              |
| Total     | Total         | 8056.05                                           | 8056.05                                           |

## The detail of funds released to DCP States (including  Chhattisgarh) and FCI as food subsidy from FY 2020-21 to 2025-26 (till  date)

| S. NoI   | FY                                       | 2020-2 1        | 12021-22                       | 12022-23           | 12023-24    | 12024-25      | 12025-26 (as on 130.01.2026)   |
|----------|------------------------------------------|-----------------|--------------------------------|--------------------|-------------|---------------|--------------------------------|
|          | ASsam'a                                  |                 |                                |                    |             |               | 9.36                           |
| ')       | HI                                       | 4117.33         | 767 1 .90                      | 10966. 10          | 6557.64     | 9725.40       | 7393.98                        |
| 3        | nii=-                                    | 176 1.53        | 2047.53                        | 1 202.49           | 2064.56     | 2572.72       | 1816.19                        |
| +        | IMddhya Pradesh                          | 11946.44        | 14420.62                       | 9471 .50           | 16939.27    | 10 1 89.04    | 7278.91                        |
|          | Andhra Pradesh                           | 8424.72         | 9323.38                        | 6635.97            | 6268.19     | 8398.98       | 4702.22                        |
|          | I'elangana                               | 6879.59         | 7665.02                        | 5242.76            | 5367.07     | 4178.27       | 2822.66                        |
| 7        | ITT                                      |                 |                                |                    |             | 9.09          | 119.92                         |
| 8        | IWest Bengal                             | 8792.03         | 5+2 1 .3+                      | 6580. 11           |             | 8899.88       | 11704.98                       |
| 9        | l                                        | 7193.13         | 9047.77                        | 7574.81            | 5236.13     | 5695.55       | 2083.64                        |
| 10       | l                                        | 1371.33         | 1554.43                        | 1212.25            | 724.39      | 1159.26       | 80.75                          |
| 11       | I c7                                     |                 |                                |                    | 47.38       |               |                                |
| 12       | Tamil Nadu                               | 3 109.76        | 6250.93                        | 8685.95            | 7072.53     | 6033.90       | 562 1 .05                      |
| 13       | FiFa;                                    | 8985.73         | 7892.69                        | 7600.05            | 14473.68    | 9948.83       | 6140.07                        |
| 14       | ma                                       | 323.99          | 1682.12                        | 2191.75            | 1 222.13    | 1281.18       | 935.79                         |
| 15       | TliG==i                                  | 9.24            | 749.43                         | 311.54             | 267.83      | 138.87        |                                |
| 16       | ml                                       | 1214.98         | 1777.86                        | 1544.89            | 1151.85     | 1 062.36      | 555.65                         |
| 17       | IMaharashtra                             | 2555.74         | 4082.07                        | 2725.75            | 3923.29     | 327.74        | 1458.49                        |
| 18       | Ml                                       | 3.66            |                                |                    | 42.77       | 502.99        | 409.3                          |
| 19       | -Fripura                                 | 29.79           | 15.58                          | 148.67             | 106.5 1     | 64.26         |                                |
| 20       | rE                                       | 1 82.78         | 1 86.87                        | 187.9              | 267.6       | 22 1 .95      | 243.45                         |
| 21       | IBT) S. No. 1 to 20                      | 78337 II        | 79789.5+                       | 172282.49          | 171733.36   | 170410.27     | 53376.41                       |
| 22       | IFCI                                     |                 | 462789.001208929.ool200219.201 |                    | 13966 1.0 3 | 1 29089.40    | 109148.00                      |
| 23       | Total (States+DB'F+ IFCI) S. No. 2 1 +22 | 1 1 541 1 26.77 | 1 12887                        | 1 18.541272501.691 | 1211394.3 9 | 1 1 99499.671 | 1 62524.41                     |

From April,  2020 to  December 2022 under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyaan Anna Yojana (PMIGKAY), 5Kg per month per person free of cost food grain was distributed to all AAY  and PHH beneficiaries.

8 Under DB-1- scheme, w.e.f. 2015-16 subsidy is released to UTs of Chdndigarh. Puducherr)'.  and Dadra & Naqar Haveti

##Uttar Pradesh has adopted non-DCP  mode of  procurement. no subsidy for  \\r'heat &  rice is being released by  Dl-'PD. However. Govt of  Uttar Pradesh has released food  subsidy for  distribution of coarse £!rdlns.

@ Assam is a DCP State for  only  2 districts  and has adopted DCP mode since 2023-24.

(a;e7Hilnachdl Pradesh is a DC P State since 2022-23