The Public Distribution System in India
PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
↑ “A hungry world is a dangerous world. Without food, people have only three options – they riot, emigrate or die. None of these are acceptable” - UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Introduction
1. ↑According to the Global Hunger Index (GHI) report of 2012, India ranks 66 out of 88 countries in the hunger index. India is the world’s hunger capital due to the following statistics:-
a) ↑ Hunger remains No 1 cause of death in India b) ↑1/3rd of the world’s hungry live in India c) ↑ Over 7000 Indians die of hunger every day and 25 lakh every year d) ↑30% newborn babies have low birth weight and 56% women are anaemic e) ↑ Over 20 crore Indians will sleep hungry tonight
Paradox of the Indian Food System
2. India today grows so much ↑food that it has a bigger grain stockpile than any other country except China. Yet ↑one-fifth of the population are malnourished. It is a myth that ↑hunger is due to the scarcity of food. The problem is that ↑many people are too poor to buy readily available food. Here is where the Public Distribution System (PDS) assumes significance.
Public Distribution System
3. The concept of Public Distribution System in India ↑appeared during 1942 for the first time as a result of shortage of food grains during the World War. Today, India‘s Public Distribution System, ↑comprising of approximately 5 lakh ‘Fair Price Shops', better known as, Ration Shops, and responsible for distributing to more than ↑160 million families commodities worth INR 15,000 crores. The PDS had been initiated by the government as a system for distribution of food grains at affordable prices and management of scarcity. It acts as an important constituent of the strategy for poverty eradication and is intended to serve as a safety net for the poor whose number is more than 33 Crores and are nutritionally at risk. ↑The PDS is currently one of the largest supply chain
↑ “A hungry world is a dangerous world. Without food, people have only three options – they riot, emigrate or die. None of these are acceptable” - UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Introduction
1. ↑According to the Global Hunger Index (GHI) report of 2012, India ranks 66 out of 88 countries in the hunger index. India is the world’s hunger capital due to the following statistics:-
a) ↑ Hunger remains No 1 cause of death in India b) ↑1/3rd of the world’s hungry live in India c) ↑ Over 7000 Indians die of hunger every day and 25 lakh every year d) ↑30% newborn babies have low birth weight and 56% women are anaemic e) ↑ Over 20 crore Indians will sleep hungry tonight
Paradox of the Indian Food System
2. India today grows so much ↑food that it has a bigger grain stockpile than any other country except China. Yet ↑one-fifth of the population are malnourished. It is a myth that ↑hunger is due to the scarcity of food. The problem is that ↑many people are too poor to buy readily available food. Here is where the Public Distribution System (PDS) assumes significance.
Public Distribution System
3. The concept of Public Distribution System in India ↑appeared during 1942 for the first time as a result of shortage of food grains during the World War. Today, India‘s Public Distribution System, ↑comprising of approximately 5 lakh ‘Fair Price Shops', better known as, Ration Shops, and responsible for distributing to more than ↑160 million families commodities worth INR 15,000 crores. The PDS had been initiated by the government as a system for distribution of food grains at affordable prices and management of scarcity. It acts as an important constituent of the strategy for poverty eradication and is intended to serve as a safety net for the poor whose number is more than 33 Crores and are nutritionally at risk. ↑The PDS is currently one of the largest supply chain