💥Join UPSC 2027,2028 Mentorship (July Batch) + XFactor Notes & Microthemes PDF
Talk to Mentor

Civilsdaily

Login

GS Paper: GS3

  • Species in news: Jungle Fowl

    A recent study by scientists has revealed new details about the earliest domestication of chicken from the Jungle Fowl.

    Try this question from CSP 2012:

    Q.What is the difference between the antelopes’ Oryx and Chiru?

    (a) Oryx is adapted to live in hot and arid areas like Africa and Arabia whereas Chiru is adapted to live in steppes and semi-desert areas of cold high mountains of Tibetan Plateau.

    (b) Oryx is poached for its antlers whereas Chiru is poached for its musk

    (c) Oryx exists in western India only whereas Chiru exists in northeast India only.

    (d) None of the statements (a), (b) and (c) given above is correct.

    Jungle Fowl

    • The DNA sequencing of 863 genomes has shown the first domestication of chicken occurred in southwestern China, northern Thailand and Myanmar.
    • The study involved sequencing of genomes from all four species of the genus Gallus, five subspecies of Red Jungle Fowl and various domestic chicken breeds collected worldwide.
    • It revealed single domestication from Red Jungle Fowl sub-species Gallus spadiceous.
    • The study also demonstrated that all five Red Jungle Fowl sub-species were genetically differentiated from each other approximately 50,000 years ago much earlier than domestication.
    • The results contradicted the earlier claim that chickens were domesticated in northern China and the Indus Valley.

    Domestication of Chicken

    • The question of domestication of chickens has intrigued scientists for centuries and has been the subject of debate.
    • Charles Darwin postulated that chickens were domesticated around 4,000 B.C. from a single ancestor, Red Jungle Fowl in the Indus Valley.
    • An important study published earlier from Uppsala University claimed the Grey Jungle Fowl had contributed to chicken domestication.
    • With this, a couple of studies from India, China and other South-Asian countries have argued the monophyletic origin of chicken.

  • Statistics Day and P.C. Mahalanobis

    Statistics Day will be celebrated today on 29th June 2020 to popularize the use of Statistics in everyday life and sensitize the public as to how Statistics helps in shaping and framing policies.

    Try this question from CSP 2016:

    A recent movie titled The Man Who Knew Infinity is based on the biography of-

    (a) S. Ramanujan
    (b) S. Chandrasekhar
    (c) S. N. Bose
    (d) C. V. Raman

    Who was P.C. Mahalanobis?

    • Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (29 June 1893 – 28 June 1972) was an Indian scientist and statistician.
    • He is best remembered for the Mahalanobis distance, a statistical measure, and for being one of the members of the first Planning Commission of free India.
    • He made pioneering studies in anthropometry (the science of obtaining systematic measurements of the human body) in India.
    • He founded the Indian Statistical Institute and contributed to the design of large-scale sample surveys.
    • For his contributions, Mahalanobis has been considered the father of modern statistics in India.

  • Is printing money an option to tide over the crises

    India has been dealing with unprecedented crises-with China on border and with economy and pandemic within. Fighting these crises require resources. So, this article examines the options to raise revenue and the consequences that come with them.

    Increase in financial burden to counter China

    •  The Chinese military threat calls for immediate and strategic action by our defence and foreign affairs establishments.
    • India’s war against Pakistan in Kargil in May 1999 provides hints of the financial burden of a military threat.
    • India’s defence expenditure in the war year shot up by nearly 20% from the previous year.
    •  India’s defence budget for the next financial year was 2.7% of nominal GDP, the highest in decades.
    • China is a far mightier power than Pakistan.
    • India’s defence budget has been whittled down to just 2% of GDP for the financial year 2021.
    • China’s defence budget is nearly four times larger.
    • In all likelihood, the Chinese conflict will stretch central government finances by an additional one to two percentage points of GDP.

    Economics of healthcare

    •  The combined public health expenditure of States and the central government in India is a mere 1.5% of GDP.
    • While China’s is at 3% and America’s at 9%.
    • The COVID-19 epidemic is expected to linger on for another two years.
    • There is no option other than to significantly ramp up India’s health expenditure.
    • So, government will need additional funds of the equivalent of at least one percentage point of GDP to continue the fight against COVID-19.

    But economy is in bad shape

    • India’s economy has four major drivers: 1) Spending on consumption. 2) Government spending. 3) Investment. 4) external trade.
    • Spending by people is the largest contributor to India’s economic growth every year.
    • For every ₹100 in incremental GDP, ₹60 to ₹70 comes from people’s consumption spending.
    • The lockdown shut off people from spending for two full months.
    • India’s economy will contract for the first time in nearly five decades.
    • With the global economy in tatters, trade is not a viable alternative to offset the loss from consumption.
    • Investment is also not a viable option at this stage since the demand for goods and services has fallen dramatically.

    So, what we want is new “New Deal”

    • There are only two options to come out of this situation.
    • 1) Either put money in the hands of the needy to stimulate immediate consumption.
    • 2) Or, the government has to embark on a massive spending spree, akin to the “New Deal”.
    • New Deal was a series of programmes and projects instituted in the U.S. during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
    • Government will need to inject incremental funds of five percentage points of GDP to absorb the economic shock and kick start the spending cycle again.

    Findind resources while aoiding “junk rating”

    • Additional expenditure on health, defence and stimulus package plus making up for a shortfall in revenue will lead to a fiscal deficit of 10% of GDP.
    • The only option for the government to finance its needs is to borrow copiously.
    • Borrowing will obviously push up debt to ominous levels.
    • When government debt rises dramatically, it gives rise to a “junk” crisis.
    • With rising debt levels, international rating agencies will likely downgrade India’s investment rating to “junk”.
    • Junk rating will then trigger panic among foreign investors.
    • India thus faces a tough dilemma — save the country’s borders, citizens and economy or prevent a “junk” rating.

    Is printing money an option?

    • Economic theory states that if money is printed at will, it can lead to a massive spike in prices and inflation.
    • This theory has fallen flat in the past decade in developed nations such as America.
    • The U.S dollar, by virtue of being the world’s reserve currency, has in-built protection against a currency crisis that can be triggered by at-will printing of money.
    • India don’t have that protection.
    • Hence, the Reserve Bank of India can just create money at will and transfer them to government coffers electronically, some argue.
    • Whether money is printed or borrowed from others, it will still be counted as government debt.
    • And so, cannot escape a potential downgrade to a “junk” rating.

    Consider the question “As the government has been dealing with the unprecedented crises, it has to explore the option of monetisation of its debt. Examine the issues with such a move.”

    Conclusion

    How India emerges from this crisis will shape not just India’s destiny but the world’s. The best course of action is to borrow unabashedly to pull India out of the crisis and deal with the consequences of a potential “junk” nation label.

  • Issues with draft EIA Notification 2020

    The changes made in the recent notification gives rise to several issues. These changes and issues that could arise are discussed in this article.

    • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse.
    • UNEP defines Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as a tool used to identify the environmental, social and economic impacts of a project prior to decision-making.
    • It aims to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in project planning and design, find ways and means to reduce adverse impacts, shape projects to suit the local environment and present the predictions and options to decision-makers.
    • Environment Impact Assessment in India is statutorily backed by the Environment Protection Act, 1986 which contains various provisions on EIA methodology and process.

    History of EIA in India

    • The Indian experience with Environmental Impact Assessment began over 20 years back. It started in 1976-77 when the Planning Commission asked the Department of Science and Technology to examine the river-valley projects from an environmental angle.
    • Till 1994, environmental clearance from the Central Government was an administrative decision and lacked legislative support.
    • On 27 January 1994, the then Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, under the Environmental (Protection) Act 1986, promulgated an EIA notification making Environmental Clearance (EC) mandatory for expansion or modernisation of any activity or for setting up new projects listed in Schedule 1 of the notification.
    • The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified new EIA legislation in September 2006.
      • The notification makes it mandatory for various projects such as mining, thermal power plants, river valley, infrastructure (road, highway, ports, harbours and airports) and industries including very small electroplating or foundry units to get environment clearance.
      • However, unlike the EIA Notification of 1994, the new legislation has put the onus of clearing projects on the state government depending on the size/capacity of the project.

    The EIA Process

    EIA involves the steps mentioned below. However, the EIA process is cyclical with interaction between the various steps.

    • Screening: The project plan is screened for scale of investment, location and type of development and if the project needs statutory clearance.
    • Scoping: The project’s potential impacts, zone of impacts, mitigation possibilities and need for monitoring.
    • Collection of baseline data: Baseline data is the environmental status of study area.
    • Impact prediction: Positive and negative, reversible and irreversible and temporary and permanent impacts need to be predicted which presupposes a good understanding of the project by the assessment agency.
    • Mitigation measures and EIA report: The EIA report should include the actions and steps for preventing, minimizing or by passing the impacts or else the level of compensation for probable environmental damage or loss.
    • Public hearing: On completion of the EIA report, public and environmental groups living close to project site may be informed and consulted.
    • Decision making: Impact Assessment Authority along with the experts consult the project-in-charge along with consultant to take the final decision, keeping in mind EIA and EMP (Environment Management Plan).
    • Monitoring and implementation of environmental management plan: The various phases of implementation of the project are monitored.
    • Assessment of Alternatives, Delineation of Mitigation Measures and Environmental Impact Assessment Report: For every project, possible alternatives should be identified, and environmental attributes compared. Alternatives should cover both project location and process technologies.
      • Once alternatives have been reviewed, a mitigation plan should be drawn up for the selected option and is supplemented with an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) to guide the proponent towards environmental improvements.
    • Risk assessment: Inventory analysis and hazard probability and index also form part of EIA procedures.

    Importance of Precautionary Principle

    • The basis in global environmental law for the EIA is the “precautionary principle”.
    • Environmental harm is often irreparable and it is cheaper to avoid damage to the environment than to remedy it.
    • We are legally bound to the precautionary principle under international treaties and obligations, as well as by Supreme Court judgments.

    What is the issue?

    • Streamlining the EIA process and bringing it in line with recent judgments are the reasons given by the government for latest notification.
    • The Draft EIA Notification disables it, shrinks its scope and removes what teeth it did have.
    • The most devastating blow to the EIA regime is the creation of an ex-post-facto clearance route. 

    1.What is ex-post-facto clearance route?

    • It applies to ongoing or completed project for which an EIA clearance was never sought or granted, and the construction of the project took place regardless.[violating the norms]
    • The project now can be slapped with minor fines for the violations and get cleared.
    • Where such ex-post-facto clearances were being granted previously, the courts cracked down on them as illegal.
    • Therefore, what could not be ratified will now find itself notified.
    • The legality of sidestepping the courts is questionable and will have to be tested.

    How it will affect?

    •  It will become a business decision as to whether the
    • There is an argument that this route will be an “exception”.
    • But it is difficult to believe in India. Our law has a long history of expanding the exception into the rule.

    Time to furnish response shortened

    • The draft notification also shortens the time for the public to furnish responses on the project.
    • For project-affected people, who are frequently forest dwellers or otherwise do not have access to information and technology.
    • This will make it harder to put forth representations.

    2.Monitoring requirements reduced

    • Monitoring requirements have been slackened.
    • The draft EIA notification halves the frequency of reporting requirements from every six months to once a year.
    • It also extends the validity period for approvals in critical sectors such as mining.

    3.Scope of EIA reduced

    • Industries that previously required a full assessment have been downgraded.
    • The construction industry will be one such beneficiary, where only the largest projects will be scrutinised fully.
    • While defence and national security installations were always understandably exempt, a vague new category of projects “involving other strategic considerations” will also now be free from public consultation requirements.

    4.Recent industrial mishaps

    • Oil India Limited’s oil wells in the Tinsukia district, Assam went up in flames this month.
    • It is situated only a few kilometres away from protected forest.
    • Recent processes for expansion and modification apparently took place without fresh environmental clearance.
    • There was a deadly gas leak at LG Polymers’ Visakhapatnam plant in May.
    • The plant had been operating without a valid environmental clearance for decades.

    Consider the question “Examine the changes made in the draft EIA Notification and what are the issues with it? “

    Way Forward

    On a positive note, the 2020 draft notification has a clause dedicated to definitions to several terms related to EIA. It may be beneficial in the sense that it consolidates the EIA rules and has the potential of alleviating some ambiguity in the present law.

    • The ministry, instead of reducing the time for public consultation, should focus on ensuring access to information as well as awareness about the public hearing and its impact upon the whole EIA process.
    • In order to improve ease of doing business, the government should bring down the average delay of 238 days in granting environmental clearance, that emanates from bureaucratic delays and complex laws.
    • Grow now, sustain later should not be the policy, as the notion is dangerously tilted against the concept of sustainable development.

    Conclusion

    Environmental regulation must balance damage to the environment with sustainable development and possible benefits but the new notification lays more emphasis on the benefits and so must be reconsidered.

  • “Money Laundering and the Illegal Wildlife Trade” Report

    A first global report on the illegal wildlife trade has been recently published by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

    Try this MCQ:

    Q.The report “Money Laundering and the Illegal Wildlife Trade”  recently seen in news is released by:

    A. TRAFFIC/ B. CITES/ C. IUCN/ D. FATF

    Highlights of the Report

    • FATF has described illegal wildlife trade as a “global threat”, which also has links with other organised crimes like modern slavery, drug trafficking and arms trade.
    • The illegal trade is estimated to generate revenues of up to $23 billion a year.
    • The report flagged a lack of focus on the financial aspects of wildlife crime.

    (1)Economy of illicit wildlife trade

    • It said that criminals are frequently misusing the legitimate wildlife trade, as well as other import-export type businesses.
    • The FATF found that jurisdictions often did not have the required knowledge, legislative basis and resources to assess and combat the threat posed by the funds generated through the illegal trade.
    • The study has highlighted the growing role of online marketplaces and mobile and social media-based payments to facilitate the movement of proceeds warranting a coordinated response from government bodies, the private sector and the civil society.

    (2)Money laundering is prominent

    • According to the report, criminal syndicates are misusing the formal financial sector to launder the proceeds.
    • Funds are laundered through cash deposits, under the guise of loans or payments, e-banking platforms, licensed money value transfer systems, and third-party wire transfers via banks.
    • Accounts of innocent victims are also used and high-value payments avoided evading detection.

    (3)Misuse of front companies

    • Another common trend is the misuse of front companies with links to the legal wildlife trade, said the report.
    • Front companies, often linked to import-export industries, and shell firms are used for the movement of goods and trans-border money transfers.

    Recommendations of the report

    • The report says the financial probe is the key to dismantling the syndicates involved, which can in turn significantly impact the associated criminal activities.
    • It recommended that jurisdictions should consider implementing good practices, as observed during the study.
    • They include providing all relevant agencies with the necessary mandate and tools; and cooperating with other jurisdictions, international bodies and the private sector.
    • The FATF said that legislative changes were necessary to increase the applicability of anti-money laundering laws to the illegal wildlife trade-linked offences.

    Back2Basics

    https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/financial-action-task-force-fatf-2/

  • International Comparison Programme (ICP) by World Bank

    The World Bank has released its ICP report for the reference year 2017. India has retained its position as the third-largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), behind the US and China.

    Try this MCQ:

    Q. The International Comparison Programme (ICP) Report recently seen in news is released by:  IMF/World Bank/OECD/None.

    The International Comparison Programme (ICP)

    • ICP is one of the largest statistical initiatives in the world.
    • It is managed by the World Bank under the auspices of the United Nations Statistical Commission.
    • Globally 176 economies participated in the 2017 cycle of ICP. The next ICP comparison will be conducted for the reference year 2021.

    The main objectives of the ICP are:

    (i) To produce purchasing power parities (PPPs) and comparable price level indexes (PLIs) for participating economies;

    (ii) To convert volume and per capita measures of gross domestic product (GDP) and its expenditure components into a common currency using PPPs.

    Highlights of the report

    • India accounts for 6.7% or $8,051 billion, out of the world’s total of $119,547 billion of global GDP in terms of PPP compared to 16.4 % in case of China and 16.3 % for the US.
    • India is also the third-largest economy in terms of its PPP-based share in global Actual Individual Consumption and Global Gross Capital Formation.
    • In the Asia-Pacific Region, in 2017, India retained its regional position, as the second-largest economy, accounting for 20.83 % in terms of PPPs.
    • China was first at 50.76% and Indonesia at 7.49% was third.
    • India is also the second-largest economy in terms of its PPP-based share in regional Actual Individual Consumption and regional Gross Capital Formation.

    Trends in INR

    • The PPPs of Indian Rupee per US$ at the GDP level is now 20.65 in 2017 from 15.55 in 2011.
    • The Exchange Rate of US Dollar to Indian Rupee is now 65.12 from 46.67 during the same period.

    Significance of PPP

    • Purchasing Power Parities are vital for converting measures of economic activities to be comparable across economies.
    • It is calculated based on the price of a common basket of goods and services in each participating economy and is a measure of what an economy’s local currency can buy in another economy.
    • Market exchange rate-based conversions reflect both price and volume differences in expenditures and are thus inappropriate for volume comparisons.
    • PPP-based conversions of expenditures eliminate the effect of price level differences between economies and reflect only differences in the volume of economies.

  • IN-SPACe: Future forerunner for India’s space economy

    • The government approved the creation of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to ensure greater private participation in India’s space activities.
    • This decision is described as historic being part of an important set of reforms to open up the space sector and make space-based applications and services more widely accessible to everyone.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q. What is IN-SPACe? Discuss how it would benefit ISRO and contribute to India’s space economy.

    What is IN-SPACe?

    • IN-SPACe is supposed to be a facilitator, and also a regulator.
    • It will act as an interface between ISRO and private parties and assess how best to utilise India’s space resources and increase space-based activities.
    • IN-SPACe is the second space organisation created by the government in the last two years.
    • In the 2019 Budget, the government had announced the setting up of a New Space India Limited (NSIL), a public sector company that would serve as a marketing arm of ISRO.

    Confusion over NSIL and ANTRIX

    • NSIL’s main purpose is to market the technologies developed by ISRO and bring it more clients that need space-based services.
    • That role, incidentally, was already being performed by Antrix Corporation, another PSU working under the Department of Space, and which still exists.
    • It is still not very clear why there was a need for another organisation with overlapping function.
    • The government now had clarified the role of NSIL that it would have a demand-driven approach rather than the current supply-driven strategy.
    • Essentially, what that means is that instead of just marketing what ISRO has to offer, NSIL would listen to the needs of the clients and ask ISRO to fulfil those.

    Then, why was IN-SPACe needed?

    (1) ISRO and its limited resources

    • It is not that there is no private industry involvement in India’s space sector.
    • In fact, a large part of the manufacturing and fabrication of rockets and satellites now happens in the private sector. There is increasing participation of research institutions as well.
    • Indian industry, however, is unable to compete, because till now its role has been mainly that of suppliers of components and sub-systems.
    • Indian industries do not have the resources or the technology to undertake independent space projects of the kind that US companies such as SpaceX have been doing or provide space-based services.

    (2) India and the global space economy

    • Indian industry had a barely three per cent share in a rapidly growing global space economy which was already worth at least $360 billion.
    • Only two per cent of this market was for rocket and satellite launch services, which require fairly large infrastructure and heavy investment.
    • The remaining 95 per cent related to satellite-based services, and ground-based systems.

    (3) Catering to domestic demands

    • The demand for space-based applications and services is growing even within India, and ISRO is unable to cater to this.
    • The need for satellite data, imageries and space technology now cuts across sectors, from weather to agriculture to transport to urban development and more.
    • If ISRO is to provide everything, it would have to be expanded 10 times the current level to meet all the demand that is arising.

    (4) Promoting other private players

    • Right now, all launches from India happen on ISRO rockets, the different versions of PSLV and GSLV.
    • There were a few companies that were in the process of developing their own launch vehicles, the rockets like ISRO’s PSLV that carry the satellites and other payloads into space.
    • Now ISRO could provide all its facilities to private players whose projects had been approved by IN-SPACe.

    How ISRO gains from all these?

    • There are two main reasons why enhanced private involvement in the space sector seems important.
    • One is commercial, and the other strategic. And ISRO seems unable to satisfy this need on its own.
    • Of course, there is a need for greater dissemination of space technologies, better utilization of space resources, and increased requirement of space-based services.
    • The private industry will also free up ISRO to concentrate on science, research and development, interplanetary exploration and strategic launches.
    • Right now too much of ISRO’s resources are consumed by routine activities that delay its more strategic objectives.

    A win-win situation for all

    • ISRO, like NASA, is essentially a scientific organisation whose main objective is the exploration of space and carrying out scientific missions.
    • There are a number of ambitious space missions lined up in the coming years, including a mission to observe the Sun, a mission to the Moon, a human spaceflight, and then, possibly, a human landing on the Moon.
    • And it is not that private players will wean away from the revenues that ISRO gets through commercial launches.
    • The space-based economy is expected to “explode” in the next few years, even in India, and there would be more than enough for all.
    • In addition, ISRO can earn some money by making its facilities and data available to private players.

  • Urban, multi-State cooperative banks to come under RBI supervision

    To ensure that depositors are protected, the Centre has decided to bring all urban and multi-State cooperative banks under the direct supervision of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

    Practice question for mains:

    Q. What are Cooperative Banks? How are they regulated? Discuss their role in extending credit facilities in rural India.

    What are Cooperative Banks?

    • A Co-operative bank is a financial entity which belongs to its members, who are at the same time the owners and the customers of their bank.
    • They are registered under the States Cooperative Societies Act.
    • They are also regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and governed by the Banking Regulations Act 1949 and Banking Laws (Co-operative Societies) Act, 1955.

    What is the present decision?

    • The urban cooperatives and multi-State cooperative banks have been brought under RBI supervision process, which is applicable to scheduled banks.
    • Currently, these banks come under dual regulation of the RBI and the Registrar of Co-operative Societies.

    Why such a move?

    • The move to bring these urban and multi-State coop banks under the supervision of the RBI comes after several instances of fraud and serious financial irregularities.
    • The most recent was the major scam at the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank last year.
    • The RBI was forced to supersede the PMC Bank’s board and impose strict restrictions.

  • Coccolithophores: The Ancient Algae

    A study of microscopic ancient marine algae (Coccolithophores) has found that there is a decrease in the concentration of oceanic calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the Southern Indian Ocean.

    Try this question:

    Q.The Coccolithophores sometimes seen in news are-

    (a) Diatoms

    (b) Algae

    (c) Coral Polyps

    (d) Sea grass

    Coccolithophores

    • Coccolithophores are single-celled algae living in the upper layers of the world’s oceans.
    • They have been playing a key role in marine ecosystems and the global carbon cycle for millions of years.
    • They calcify marine phytoplankton that produces up to 40% of open ocean calcium carbonate and responsible for 20% of the global net marine primary productivity.
    • They build exoskeletons from individual CaCO3 plates consisting of chalk and seashells building the tiny plates on their exterior.

    Role as a carbon sink

    • Though carbon dioxide is produced during the formation of these plates, coccolithophores help in removing it from the atmosphere and ocean by consuming it during photosynthesis.
    • At equilibrium, they absorb more carbon dioxide than they produce, which is beneficial for the ocean ecosystem.
    • These investigations are important for future intervention to bring positive changes in the marine ecosystem and the global carbon cycle.

    Threats

    • The reduction of coccolithophores is due to an increase in the presence of diatom algae, which occurs after sea ice breakdown with climate change and ocean acidification, and increases the silicate concentration in the waters of the Southern Ocean.
    • Their existence is highly dependent on time and influenced by various environmental factors such as silicate concentrations, calcium carbonate concentration, diatom abundance, light intensity and availability of macro and possibly micronutrient concentrations.

  • Universalising the PDS

    • The Public distribution system (PDS) is an Indian food Security Systemestablished under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution.
    • PDS evolved as a system of management of scarcity through distribution of food grains at affordable prices.
    • PDS is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the State Governments.
      • The Central Government, through Food Corporation of India (FCI), has assumed the responsibility for procurement, storage, transportation and bulk allocation of food grains to the State Governments.
      • The operational responsibilities including allocation within the State, identification of eligible families, issue of Ration Cards and supervision of the functioning of Fair Price Shops (FPSs) etc., rest with the State Governments.
    • Under the PDS, presently the commodities namely wheat, rice, sugar and keroseneare being allocated to the States/UTs for distribution. Some States/UTs also distribute additional items of mass consumption through the PDS outlets such as pulses, edible oils, iodized salt, spices, etc.