Parliament Question: Leak Proof Delivery of Foodgrains under the PDS

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 847 TO BE ANSWERED ON 4TH FEBRUARY, 2026 LEAK PROOF DELIVERY OF FOODGRAINS UNDER THE PDS

847. SHRI BRIJMOHAN AGRAWAL:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

be pleased to state:

(a): the details of the systemic challenges currently affecting the leak-proof delivery of foodgrains within the Public Distribution System network including the measures being undertaken by the Government to address potential gaps in the supply chain;

(b): the details of the specific quality control protocols that are in place to ensure that foodgrains distributed under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) consistently meet the Fair Average Quality (FAQ) standards along with the number of complaints/violations have been recorded by the department for the delivery of substandard quality to the beneficiaries;

(c): the details of the steps taken by the Government to strengthen the monitoring framework at Fair Price Shops to prevent the distribution of non-standard stocks to beneficiaries; and

(d): the details regarding the reach of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

(PMGKAY) including the total number of beneficiaries and the financial outlay utilized since its inception in the Country, State/UT-wise, especially in Chhattisgarh? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBH Al BAMBHANIYA)

(a): As part of the Government’s digital initiatives to enhance reach, effectiveness and leak- proof delivery of foodgrains through Public Distribution System (PDS), the ration card/beneficiary database has been 100% digitised across all States and Union Territories, with 99.9% ration cards Aadhaar-seeded and 99.2% beneficiaries aadhaar seeded, This has enabled beneficiaries to access their full entitlements at Fair Price Shops through e- PoS devices using their Ration Card Number or Aadhaar Number with biometric authentication.

Further, initiatives such as One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC), Mera Ration App and Anna Sahayata have expanded the reach of food security benefits, thereby improving the effectiveness of PDS(b) & (c): The Department has formulated and issued a Quality Control Manual to uniformly maintain the quality standards of foodgrains from procurement to its distribution to the eligible beneficiaries through various social security programmes of OoI.

Further, Storage and Research Division of the Department is also mandated to undertake quality control activities with respect to the foodgrains stocks meant for central pool and its monitoring during procurement, storage as well as distribution to the eligible beneficiaries through various social security programmes. These activities are undertaken on a regular basis.

Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) under National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the State/ Union Territory (UT) Governments. The operational responsibilities for allocation of foodgrains within the States/ UTs, identification of eligible beneficiaries, issuance of ration cards to them, distribution of foodgrains to eligible beneficiaries under of TPDS, issuance of license to Fair Price Shop dealers, the supervision over and monitoring of functioning of FPSs of etc. rest with the concerned State/UT Governments.

Accordingly, as and when any type of complaints/grievances related to TPDS are received in this Department from any source, they are sent to concerned State/ UT Governments and Division

Section of the Department for inquiry and appropriate action.

Further, specific complaint cases related to the distribution of substandard wheat are not maintained or compiled by the Department. Moreover, 30014 complaints/grievances related to TPDS sent to the States/UTs Government from January, 2021 to December, 2025.

Union Government has laid down a robust mechanism to seamlessly distribute the food grains under PNIGKAY to around 80 Crore Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

(PMGKAY) beneficiaries through Fair Price Shops in all the State/UTs.

(d): Statement indicating the State/UT-wise number of beneficiaries covered under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) during last years and present year in the country is at Annexure-I:

The Department reimburses the expenditure incurred by States, that have opted for Decentralized Procurement (DCP) mode (including Chhattisgarh) for distribution of food-grains to the beneficiaries of Central Schemes as per allocation made by Government of India. The difference between Economic Cost and Central Issue Price (CIP), at which foodgrains are issued to States, is reimbursed to Food Corporation of India (FCI) and DCP States as food subsidy. The food subsidy released to DCP States & FCI is made as per budgetary allocation made by M/o Finance.

State wise funds are not allocated by M/o Finance. Further, funds are also released by FoodCorporation of India (FCI) to the States for the quantum of food-grains handed over to them by States for Central Pool. The two food subsidy schemes (Food Subsidy to FCI and Food Subsidy to DCP States) have been subsumed as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). The detail of funds released to DCP States (including Chhattisgarh) and FCI as food subsidy from FY 2020-21 to till date is at Annexure-II ScSeSc SeqeScAnnexu re-I The Statement indicating the State/UT-wise number of beneficiaries covered under the PMGKAY during last years and present year in the country Actual number of beneficiaries covered (in lakh SI. No. IStates/ UTs mmm As on 31.03.2025 As on 31.12.2025

268.22 268.22 mr mR 2 8.44 8.44 3 ms 247.98 247.98 4 mI 871.16 871.16 5 s 200.77 200.77 6 me 72.78 72.78 7 no 5.32 5.32 8 ml 365.84 365.84 9 ma 126.49 126.49 10 I 29.88 29.88 = B 11 Fharkhand 264.19 264.19 12 FaT;aT 40 1 .93 401.93 --t 1 3 me 154.80 154.80 14 a 534.79 534.79C 15 a 700.17 700.17 16 Ma 20.87 20.87 17 me 21.46 2 1 .46 nz 18 7.05 7.05 19 Rma 14.05 14.05 m( 20 325.17 325.17 21 ml 141.45 141.45 22 EMa 440.0 1 440.0 1 2 3 mc 3.81 3.81 24 a 364.12 364.12 25 He 191 .70 191 .70 26 mr 24.43 24.43 27 a 1498.70 1498.70 [ 28 61 .94 61 .94 N7ma 29 601.84 60 1 .84 3 0 mA 0.6 1 0.6 1 31 ml 2,69 2.69 3 2 a 0.22 0.22 33 l D 2.99 2.99 ml in 34 6.34 6.34 3 5 mJ 72.41 72.41 3 6 ma 1.44 1.44 Total 8056.05 8056.05Annexu re-II The detail of funds released to DCP States (including Chhattisgarh) and FCI as food subsidy from FY 2020-21 to 2025-26 (till date) S. NoI FY 12025-26 (as on 2020-2 1 12021- 22 12022-23 12023-24 12024-25 130.01.2026) ASsam'a 9.36 HI ') 4117.33 767 1 .90 1 0966. 1 0 6557.64 9725.40 7393.98 3 nii=- 1 76 1 .53 2047.53 1 202.49 2064.56 2572.72 1816.19 + IMddhya Pradesh 11946.44 14420.62 9471 .50 16939.27 1 0 1 89.04 7278.91 Andhra Pradesh

8424.72 9323.38 6635.97 6268.19 8398.98 4702.22 I'elangana 6879.59 7665.02 5242.76 5367.07 4178.27 2822.66 ITT 7 9.09 119.92 8 IWest Bengal 8792.03 5+2 1 .3+ 6580. 11 8899.88 11704.98 9 l 7193.13 9047.77 7574.81 5236.13 5695.55 2083.64 10 l 1371.33 1554.43 1212.25 724.39 1159.26 80.75 11 I c7 47.38 12 Tamil Nadu 3 1 09.76 6250.93 8685.95 7072.53 6033.90 562 1 .05 1 3 FiFa; 8985.73 7892.69 7600.05 14473.68 9948.83 6140.07 14 ma 323.99 1682.12 2191.75 1 222.13 1281.18 935.79 15 TliG==i 9.24 749.43 311.54 267.83 138.87 16 ml 1214.98 1777.86 1544.89 1151.85 1 062.36 555.65 17 IMaharashtra 2555.74 4082.07 2725.75 3923.29 327.74 1458.49 18 Ml 3.66 42.77 502.99 409.3 19 -Fripura 29.79 15.58 148.67 106.5 1 64.26 20 rE 1 82.78 1 86.87 1 87.9 267.6 22 1 .95 243.45 21 IBT) 53376.41 S. No. 1 to 20 78337 II 79789.5+ 1 72282.49 171733.36 1 70410.27 13966 1 .0 IFCI 22 462789.001 208929.ool200219.201 3 1 29089.40 109148.00 Total (States+DB'F+ 1 1 1 IFCI) 23 1211394.3 +22 9 S. No. 2 1 15 41 1 26.77 12887 18.541272501.691 1 1 99499.671 1 62524.41 From April, 2020 to December 2022 under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyaan Anna Yojana

(PMIGKAY), 5Kg per month per person free of cost food grain was distributed to all AAY and PHH beneficiaries.

8 Under DB-1- scheme, w.e.f. 2015-16 subsidy is released to UTs of Chdndigarh. Puducherr)'. and Dadra & Naqar Haveti ##Uttar Pradesh has adopted non-DCP mode of procurement. no subsidy for \\r'heat & rice is being released by Dl-'PD. However. Govt of Uttar Pradesh has released food subsidy for distribution of coarse £!rdlns.

@ Assam is a DCP State for only 2 districts and has adopted DCP mode since 2023-24. (a;e7Hilnachdl Pradesh is a DC P State since 2022-23