The Impact of PDS as a Supporting measures to the Poor in Meeting Food Security. Evidence from a Village in West Bengal

Abstract

The objective of the present paper is to study the extent of supporting measure of public distribution system (PDS) in helping the poor to maintain minimum nutritional status and levels of living. It uses primary data collected from a village of West Bengal, to analyze working of PDS in terms of income gain and commodity diversion. Average Monthly Per Capita Income transfer is Rs 83.2, through consumption different goods purchased from ration shops. Income transfer (Rs 128) is highest to households under Antodaya Anna Yojana scheme. Average monthly per capita consumption of cereal from PDS is 5.6 kg, 4.6 kg and 1.9 kg respectively by AAY, BPL, and APL household respectively. Monthly per capita diversion of cereal is 2.6 kg, which is maximum (4.0 kg) for BPL household category, followed by AAY household (2.7kg). It is assessed that the diversion of commodity to open market is 46.6%, 32.5%, 38.5%, 50%, and 66% entitlement of wheat, rice, cereal, kerosene, sugar respectively under Antodaya Anna Yojana schemes. As a result diversion of commodities to the open market lowers the weightage of supportive system of the government measures towards food security through PDS. Restructuring the PDS system and identification of household in different category are most important part of implementing PDS successfully.