Public Distribution System

“Public Distribution System” : A mere election promise, neglected for people’s welfare after the polls? Public Distribution System (PDS), a term frequently employed by parties in our country, seemingly aims to benefit the lower stratum of society - the public holds the greatest need. However, the efficacy of these systems in truly delivering on their promises remains questionable such as the case of Sunitha, which will be discussed further in this article. Are the intended beneficiaries receiving the resources and support pledged to them? Furthermore, has there been rigorous follow-ups to ensure the fulfilment of these commitments? Lastly, and perhaps most critically, does corruption infiltrate these systems as well, undermining their very purpose? What is PDS? Public Distribution System is a government sponsored chain of shops entrusted with the work of distributing basic food and non-food commodities to the needy sections of the society at very cheap prices. This here is the conceptualised definition of PDS, but is this really the case? No. It is a government sponsored chain of shops yes but these chains of shops do not do the task they are provided with. Survey and the Problem of Ration Cards According to the survey conducted by ‘Stranded Workers Action’ on 5,911 migrant workers, 96% of the people surveyed did not receive ration from the government. This number keeps increasing, this is due to the number of people belonging to the backward classes or the lower sections of the society not having ration cards or to say not having received ration cards. Who is to blame? The government or the shops? According to a survey I conducted among the non-academic staff at my school and nearby government cleaning staff, turned out to be a ratio of 7:3 (for every 7 people who don’t have a ration card, 3 do) and this ratio is only the smallest margin in a country having a population of 1,441,719,852 in which 10% of the population (14,41,71,985.2) lives below poverty line or extreme poverty. Applying this ratio to the entirety of people living below the poverty line in various states brings us to about 499:1 - Yes, many people do have ration cards, but let's consider the cases of the 0.2% who don’t. Usually, the reason why people of the lower class do not receive ration is due to the lack of ration card, and this is a major problem because many of them are paying the price which is at par with the grocery shops where prices are not feasible or regulated price given by the government which leaves them at a disadvantage. The Case of Sunitha For instance, in one specific case of Sunitha a 25-year-old street cleaner, a mother of 2 children and a wife to an unemployed husband. Sunitha earns a meagre amount of ₹15,500 per month; Sunitha has not received a ration card even after multiple pleadings and is always paying the high-priced rate which the government does not subsidise. Sunitha, like many others, struggles to obtain ration due to lack of ration cards. Due to the lack of ration cards, many are unable to get basic necessities. Out of the 99.8% of the people many still don't receive ration just like Sunitha, the key reasons are usually the corruption in fair pay shops where the PDS dealers are sometimes found resorting to malpractices like diverting the grains to open market to get a better margin, selling poor quality grains at ration shops, irregular operating times of the shop. Corruption in Fair Pay Shops There have been reports all over India that these shops regularly have unsold stocks of poor – quality grains left and when these shops are unable to sell, a massive stock of foodgrains piles up with FCI. “Corruption in fair pay shops” you must think how something like that can be possible or has anyone ever faced it? Manjula, a 38-year-old maid who works as a cleaner (washes dishes, cleans house etc.) in various homes of urban Bengaluru, is a mother to 3 children and a wife to a husband who works in the transportation of cylinders in Indane gas. In a survey conducted, she informed that she never receives rations even though she is below the poverty line and owns a ration card. The problem she faces is that whenever she goes to collect the ration, the shop owner sends her away, saying the shop is closed at 9AM. This leads her to purchase rice and other essentials at a retail food store at higher prices, this affects her financial condition in turn which causes the parents inability to send their children to a good school to provide for education. Such a small thing causes a ripple in one’s financial condition. Shopkeeper’s Perspective When discussing financial conditions, we must also understand that even ration shop workers have lives to support, while these vendors admit their wrongdoing they too try to support a life of their own. Narayan, a shopkeeper from Mumbai’s Govandi area, says they resort to such measures to meet the expenses involved in running the shop. “The government gives us ₹1.50 per kg of ration as commission,” he says. “Suppose we receive about 12,000kg of rations for 400 ration card-holders, this means we make only ₹18,000 a month. But there is rent to pay, plus electricity bills, salaries of employees and charges for the labourers who drop off stock from the government at our shops. These bare expenses amount to around ₹30,000 a month. It is impossible to bear these expenses if we do not take away at least 5 kg of ration from every ration card holder and sell it at a higher price in “black” or other markets.” Khan, B. A. (2023, May 2). But this is not the case for all the PDS shop owners; the majority of them don’t resort to such measures to gain money and risk the lives of few. The Way Forward Despite these enduring challenges, there is a beacon of hope; recent technological advancements and policy reforms are gradually reshaping PDS into a more equitable framework. One of the most significant improvements has been the integration of Adhaar, India’s biometric identification system, with the PDS. This linkage aims to ensure that food grains reach the intended beneficiaries by preventing fraudulent practices and reducing leakage. Government of India, PDS. This article is written to give the public an insight into what occurs in our country on a daily basis. By small steps we, the people can take major actions towards reducing inequality. We can start funding government organisations which help these people, in our own society we can educate the children of the lower castes and help them in their careers. Taking these small steps is what makes India a more developed country. Basu, M. (no date a) This is what it means to be poor in India Today, CNN. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2017/10/world/i-on-india-income-gap/ (No date) The wire: The Wire News India, Latest News,news from India, politics, External Affairs, science, economics, gender and culture. Available at: https://thewire.in/politics/rs-10000-crores-in-a-poll-year-a-pds-scam-once-again-posescorruption-hurdle-for-%E2%84%A2 Singh, S.S. (2024) Magnitude of the ₹10,000 crore PDS scam in West Bengal is enormous: Ed, The Hindu. Available at: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/magnitude-of-the-10000-crore-pds-scam-in-west-bengal-is-enormous-ed/article67720001.ece Khan, B.A. (2023) Mumbai’s ration shops cheating the poor, hoarding their food, 101Reporters. Khan, B.A. (2023a) Mumbai’s ration shops cheating the poor, hoarding their food, 101Reporters. Public distribution system (PDS) (no date) . Available at: https://nfsa.gov.in/portal/PDS_page (Accessed: 14 September 2024).