- Introduce what PDS is.
- In the 1st part of the main body, highlight its objectives.
- Mention the challenges faced by the system.
- Give the steps taken by the government and mention their relevance.
- What more can be done to make the system better?
Answer:
The Centre is proposed food subsidy allocation for 2019-20 is Rs 1.84 lakh crore. In spite of such high expenditure, according to the 2019 Global Hunger Index, India ranks 102nd out of 117 qualifying countries. With a score of 30.3, India suffers from a level of hunger that is a very serious concern. It shows how the PDS system has failed to meet its objectives.
What is the Public Distribution System?
The Public Distribution System (PDS) is an Indian food Security System established under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution. PDS was introduced around World War II as a war-time rationing measure but has evolved into a universal scheme for the distribution of subsidised food.
With the coming of National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 providing for the Right to Food as a legal entitlement by providing subsidised food grains to nearly two-thirds of the population PDS has expanded exponentially.
Objectives of the Public distribution system
- There are three basic objectives of the public distribution system in India:
- Provide essential food grains at cheap and subsidised prices to the consumers so as to insulate them from the impact of rising prices of these commodities.
- To maintain a buffer stock so as to meet any exigencies in food production.
- Maintaining the minimum nutritional status of our population.
Issues with the Food Grain Distribution System:
- Inaccurate identification of households: Presence of inclusion and exclusion errors in identification of beneficiaries.
- Leakages in the delivery system: This takes place during the transportation of food grains to ration shops and from there to the open market.
- Financially inefficient: The centre bears a large financial burden of the food subsidy as the cost of procuring and delivering food grains is about six times its sale price.
- Shortfall in the storage capacity: It leads to the rotting of food grains.
- The provision of minimum support price (MSP) has encouraged farmers to divert land from production of coarse grains that are consumed by the poor, to rice and wheat and thus, discourages crop diversification.
- Environmental issues: The over-emphasis on attaining self-sufficiency and a surplus in food grains, which are water-intensive, has been found to be environmentally unsustainable.
Reformative steps taken by the Government
- Automation of Fair Price Shops
- Direct Benefit Transfer (Cash): where food subsidy is directly credited to the account of the beneficiaries.
- Aadhaar Seeding in PDS: To weed out duplicate/in-eligible/bogus ration cards and to enable rightful targeting
- Deletion of ration cards: As an outcome of digitization of Ration Cards/beneficiary records, de-duplication due to Aadhaar seeding, transfer/migration/deaths, change in economic status of beneficiaries.
- Digital/Cashless/Less-cash Payments in fair price shops.
- Food Corporation of India(FCI) Reforms:
- End to end computerisation of food grain procurement, storage, transport and distribution.
- Silos: Use of modern technology in storage
- Online Depot System – To bring all operations of FCI Godowns online and to check leakages and automate operations at depot level
- Supporting the Farmers – FCI has initiated special efforts for procurement in the Eastern States of India, where there were frequent complaints of distress sale of paddy and procurement system was ineffective.
Way forward:
- Decentralised procurement operations by leading states that have gained sufficient experience in this regard. This would help Food Corporation of India (FCI) to focus on lagging states.
- Home delivery of food grains can help in increasing last-mile connectivity.
- Shanta Kumar Committee recommendations should be fully implemented.
- Engagement of the private sector can help to modernise stocking and warehousing facilities.
The government initiatives for reform are in the right direction but can be further strengthened by the increased public participation through social audits and participation of SHGs, Cooperatives and NGOs in ensuring the transparency of PDS system at ground level.
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A very good intro.
But even when using short paragraphs, do use subheadings. I am pointing out at the 1st part discussed after the intro. You have to mention the direction of the discussion through that subheading.
The structure of the answer is very good.
Your coverage is appropriate to demands of the question.
The content is well placed and well-explained.
Good use of flowchart.
Good language. It has improved quite a lot in recent times. Well done.
Fine way forward.
All in all, nothing wrong with the attempt.
Start writing little more clearly.
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Hi Sahithya
A gentle reminder. Answers submitted for December month in January will not be reviewed as per our policy guidelines. Rest all of the answers submitted in the month of December will be reviewed in a time-bound manner.
Always read the statement of the question carefully and base your 1st part of the answer according to it. So in this question, the opening statement of the question is “PDS evolved as a system of management of scarcity through distribution of food grains at affordable prices.” Therefore your 1st part of the answer should discuss how PDS was supposed to be evolved as a system of management of scarcity through distribution of food grains at affordable prices.
Then only discuss the weaknesses in the structure of PDS.
God use of a diagram to discuss the process of PDS.
The challenges part should be discussed in a more detailed manner.
The discussion on the steps taken by the govt is perfect and detailed.
The content there is well placed and has proper depth.
In fact, your whole 2nd part is well managed.
Read the model answer for the talking points that I discussed.
The overall language is perfect.
PDS evolved as a system of management of scarcity through distribution of food grains at affordable prices. But there are various issues associated with the PDS System in India. What are the reformative steps taken by the government to make food grain distribution system more effective? (15 Marks)
The Public Distribution System (PDS) in India is a government-sponsored program designed to provide subsidized food grains to low-income families. However, there have been various issues associated with the PDS system in India, such as leakages, inefficiencies, and corruption. To address these issues, the government has taken several reformative steps to make the food grain distribution system more effective. Some of these steps are:
Digitization of PDS: The government has launched several digital initiatives to make the PDS system more transparent and efficient. The use of technology, such as GPS-enabled trucks and electronic point of sale (e-POS) machines, has helped to reduce leakages and increase accountability.
Targeted PDS: The government has introduced a targeted PDS system to ensure that food grains reach the intended beneficiaries. The National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 has identified priority households and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households who are eligible for subsidized food grains.
Reforms in procurement and storage: The government has made efforts to increase the procurement of food grains from farmers and to improve storage facilities to reduce wastage. The government has also introduced a decentralized procurement system to involve farmers in the procurement process.
Cash Transfer: The government has introduced Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for food subsidies to improve the efficiency and transparency of the PDS system. Under the DBT system, the government transfers cash subsidies directly to the bank accounts of beneficiaries.
Reforms in Governance: The government has made efforts to improve the governance structure of the PDS system. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has been restructured to reduce inefficiencies and increase accountability. The government has also introduced a grievance redressal mechanism to address complaints from beneficiaries.
In conclusion, the government has taken several reformative steps to make the food grain distribution system more effective. The use of technology, targeted PDS, reforms in procurement and storage, cash transfer, and reforms in governance have helped to reduce leakages, increase accountability, and ensure that food grains reach the intended beneficiaries. These steps have improved the efficiency and transparency of the PDS system and have helped to make food grain distribution more effective.