Impressive improvement in PDS: Thomas

The government on Monday claimed there has been an "impressive improvement" in the performance of the targeted public distribution system.

New Delhi: The government on Monday claimed there has been an "impressive improvement" in the performance of the targeted public distribution system (TPDS), with leakage reduced to about 10-15 percent on average now from 40
percent earlier.

"The leakage, on an average, is nearly 10-15 percent,"
Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution KV Thomas said in a reply during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.

The government provides subsidised foodgrains to the poor
through the TPDS. The Economic Survey for 2010-11 prepared by
the Finance Ministry had indicated that over 40 percent of
the grain meant for distribution to the poor through the TPDS
does not reach the target audience.

The onus for procurement, allocation and transportation
of foodgrains up to the designated depots of Food Corporation
of India (FCI) lies with the central government.

The duty of lifting and distributing the allocated
foodgrains to the eligible people through fair price shops is
with the states.

Thomas said that the estimates in the Economic Survey for
2010-11 were prepared on the basis of a study conducted by
economist Reetika Khera and the latest study, done by a group
of research scholars, including Khera, recently opined, "There
has been an impressive revival in the TPDS across the
country."

"The group have based their findings on a study made in
106 randomly selected villages, spread over two districts each
in nine states, covering a total of 1,227 BPL/Antyodaya
households," Thomas said.

The team visited various states, including Bihar, Andhra
Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
"It has also been pointed out the days when up to half of
the PDS grain was diverted to the open market are gone," he
added.

PTI

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