What do you mean by universal nature of PDS? What changes have PDS witnessed?
Answers
Public distribution system is a food security system in our country. This was established by the Government of India under Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food, and Public Distribution and it is managed jointly by the State Governments in India. It distributes subsidized food and non-food items to India's poor living in rural and urban areas. Major commodities distributed include staple food grains, such as wheat, rice, sugar and kerosene, through a network of fair priced shop (also known as ration shops) established in several states spread across the country. Food Corporation of India, a Government owned corporation, procures and maintains the Public Distribution System.
Importance of Public Distribution System :-
1) Public distribution system has helped in stabilizing prices of the food grain and making food available to poor people at affordable prices.
2) Helped to ensure that the poor section of society also have the access to the food.
3) It maintains the buffer stock of food grains in the warehouse so that the flow of food remain active even during the period of less agricultural food production.
4) The Public Distribution System also keeps an eye on the hoarders and black marketers who try for windfall gain at the cost of poor people and other consumers.
Public Distribution System (PDS) is an Indian food security system established by the Government of India under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution and managed jointly with state governments in India. It distributes subsidised food and non-food items to India's poor through a network of Public distribution shops (PDS) established in several states across the country.
The following are the features of PDS.
1. Maintaining price stability :- Public distribution system keep the price stable throughout the year by managing flow of food items in the market.
2 . Social welfare :-It ensure that poor section of the society also have the access to the food. There are many programmes run by the government such as the Annapoorna yojna. Public distribution system provide food for the implementation of such programmes.
3. Rationing during the scarciy :- Public distribution system also keep the buffer of foodgrain in the warehouses so that flow of food remain active even during the period of less agricultural food production.
4. Keeping a check on private trade :- Public distribution system also keep an eye on the hoarders and black marketes who try for windfall gain at the cost of poor people and other consumers.
The following are the disadvantages of the public distribution system -
1. Instances of hunger occur despite granaries being full. This points to certain lacunae or inefficiency in the system.
2. High level of buffer stocks often leads to wastage of foodgrains and deterioration in quality.
3. The storage of foodgrains inculcates high carrying costs on the government.
4. 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.
CHANGE IN PDS
- The system of Rationing in India started in the 1940s during the times of the Bengal famine.
- It was again during the 1960s, before the Green Revolution, due to food shortage.
- In the mid-1970s, acute poverty levels prompted the government to introduce three important food intervention programmes
- Subsequently, several new such programmes have been started
Conclusion -
It is public distribution system which is meant to distributes subsidised food and non-food items to India's poor through a network of Public distribution shops (PDS) established in several states across the country.Over year's it has led to curb on the loopholes where the food was not reaching to the needy,it has led to growth of the buffer of food grain in the warehouses which are needed in times of droughts,floods etc.The hoarders and black marketes which try to manipulate the system are dealt with strict laws.