Food Security and the PDS in India
Leakages and Reforms
Studies found large shares of PDS grain did not reach beneficiaries, and reforms such as digitisation have reduced but not eliminated the problem.
Leakage is the system’s Achilles heel.
Scale of problem
Estimates from the 2010s suggested that a large share of grain, close to 40 per cent in some studies, was diverted.
Reforms
Computerised records, Aadhaar-linked cards and electronic point-of-sale machines aim to tie grain to real beneficiaries.
Exclusion risk
Biometric failures or missing links can deny genuine beneficiaries.
Progress
Leakage has fallen in several states, according to studies.
An elderly woman's fingerprint does not match, and she is turned away at the shop.
It can cause exclusion.
- Leakage has been high.
- Digital tools reduce diversion.
- Exclusion is a risk.
- States differ in progress.
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