advantages of PDS and disadvantages of it
Answers
It has helped in stabilising food prices and making food available to consumers at affordable prices.It has helped in avoiding hunger and famine by supplying food from surplus regions of the country to deficient regions.The system of minimum support price and procurement has contributed to increase in foodgrain production.
:- The disadvantage of the public distribution system;
Instances of hunger occur despite granaries being full. This points to certain lacunae or inefficiency in the system.High level of buffer stocks often leads to wastage of foodgrains and deterioration in quality.The storage of foodgrains inculcates high carrying costs on the government.The provision of minimum support price has encouraged farmers to divert land from production of coarse grains that are consumed by poor, to rice and wheat.
Advantages of PDS are ----
●The PDS has proved to be the most effective instrument of government policies over the years in stabilising prices and making good available to consumers at affordable price.
●It has been instrumental in adverting widespread hunger and famine by supplying food from surplus regions of the country to the deficient ones.
●In addition, the prices have been under revision in favour of poor households in general.
●The system including the MSP and procurement had contributed to an increase in food grains production.
●It also provided income security to farmers in certain regions.
Disadvantages of PDS are------
◆This system has faced severe criticism on several grounds.
◆Instances of hunger b are prevalent despite overflowing granaries.
◆FCI go-downs are overflowing with grains, with some rotting away and some being eaten by rats.
◆PDS dealers aate sometimes found restoring to malpractices like diverting the grains to open markets to get better margins.
◆It is common to find the ration shops regularly have unsold stock of poor quality grains left.