Right to Food and the Struggle with the PDS

Syllabus: GS2/ Governance, GS3/ Economy

Context

• The Right to Food in India faces challenges due to inefficiencies in the Public Distribution System (PDS), hindering equitable access to essential food grains.

Food Insecurity in India

• India has been ranked 105th out of 127 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2024, placing it in the “serious” category for hunger levels. 
• The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023 report highlights that approximately 224 million people in India experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2021-2022.

What is a PDS System?

• The Public Distribution System (PDS) is a food security system in India that distributes food and other items to the poor at subsidized prices.
  • The PDS is a joint responsibility of the central and state governments. 
• The central government, through the Food Corporation of India (FCI), procures, stores, transports, and allocates food grains to the states. 
• State governments manage the system at the ground level, including allocating food within the state, identifying eligible families, and issuing ration cards. 

Challenges with the PDS System

• Diversion of Food Grains: A significant portion of food grains is leaked during transportation or diverted to the black market.
• Exclusion Due to Biometric Verification: Many individuals lose access to monthly rations as their names are removed from PDS rolls after biometric mismatches during Aadhaar-based verification.
• Corruption at Fair Price Shops (FPS), such as under-weighing food grains, selling poor-quality goods, or charging higher prices, undermines the system’s effectiveness.
• Inadequate warehousing facilities lead to spoilage and wastage of food grains.

Reforms and Modernization Efforts

• National Food Security Act, 2013: Enacted to provide legal entitlement to subsidized food grains to two-thirds of India’s population.
  • Ensures the coverage of 75% of rural and 50% of urban population.
• The Targeted Public Distribution System (Control) Order of 2015 was issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
  • It established responsibilities for the Centre and States, and set up a grievance redressal mechanism. 
• Digital Ration Cards: The introduction of digital ration cards and Aadhaar-based biometric authentication aims to eliminate fake and duplicate ration cards.
• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): In some regions, DBT has been implemented, where money is transferred directly to the bank accounts of beneficiaries instead of providing food grains.
• End-to-End Computerization: The PDS system is being computerized to improve transparency, minimize leakages, and make distribution more efficient.
• Food Safety and Quality Monitoring: Various measures have been taken to improve the quality control of food grains provided under the PDS.

Way Ahead

• Infrastructure Expansion: Strengthen storage and transportation facilities to support the growing scale of operations.
• Technological Integration: Leverage artificial intelligence and blockchain for real-time tracking and reducing inefficiencies.
• Implement social audits and public grievance redressal mechanisms to hold PDS stakeholders accountable and address issues like corruption and leakages.

Source: TH