Q. What are the major challenges of Public Distribution System (PDS) in India ? How can it be made effective and transparent ?

Model Answer:

The Public Distribution System (PDS), institutionalized under the NFSA 2013, ensures baseline food security for over 800 million Indians, yet faces systemic bottlenecks.

Major Challenges of PDS in India

1. Targeting Errors: Severe inclusion (covering non-poor) and exclusion (missing genuine poor) errors (Shanta Kumar Committee).
2. Supply Chain Leakages: High transit losses, black-market diversion, and issuance of ghost ration cards.
3. Storage Inefficiencies: Suboptimal scientific storage infrastructure with FCI leads to massive grain spoilage.
4. Nutritional & Ecological Skew: Over-reliance on rice and wheat neglects protein-rich pulses and water-efficient millets.

Measures to Make PDS Effective and Transparent

1. End-to-End Computerization: Digitize supply chain tracking using GPS-enabled transport and smart weighing (Chhattisgarh PDS Model).
2. Biometric Authentication: Mandate 100% Aadhaar-seeding and e-PoS (electronic Point of Sale) machine usage at Fair Price Shops.
3. National Portability: Universalize the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ (ONORC) scheme to protect migrant workers.
4. Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): Transition to cash transfers in urban, food-surplus districts to bypass physical leakages.
5. Dietary Diversification: Distribute fortified rice and bio-fortified millets (Shree Anna) to simultaneously combat “hidden hunger”.

Upgrading the PDS through tech-driven transparency and decentralized procurement is vital to elevate India from basic caloric provision to comprehensive nutritional security.