The document discusses India's public distribution system (PDS) which aims to ensure food security across the country. It provides an overview of the key aspects of PDS including its objectives, coverage of schemes, procurement and storage of food grains, and commodities distributed through fair price shops. It highlights the role of agencies like FCI in procurement, storage and distribution of food grains to support PDS operations at a national level.

1. BY NAMAMI GOHAIN
L-2012-BS-66-D

2.  Food Security is “access by all people at all times to enough
food for an active, healthy life.” (World Development
Report, 1986)
 “The ability to assure, on a long term basis, that the food
system provides the total population access to timely,
reliable and nutritionally adequate supply of food.” (Staatz,
1990)
 When all people, at all times, have physical, social and
economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that
meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active
and healthy life (FAO 2009).

3. Food
Security
Physical Availability of Food
The supply side, determined by the level
Of food production, stock level & net trade.
Economic & Physical access to Food
Adequate supply of food does not guarantee household level food
security. Food access depends on incomes, expenditure, markets &
prices in achieving food security objectives
Food Utilization
The way the body makes the most of various nutrients in the food.
Involves care & feeding practices, food preparation, diversity of diet
& intra-household distribution of food.
Stability of the other 3 dimensions over time
Access on a periodic basis. Weather, political conditions or
economic factors have an impact on food security status.

4.  Ever growing population.
 For the poor sections of the society.
 Natural disasters or calamity like earthquake,
drought, flood, tsunami.
 Widespread crop failure due to drought.

5.  A situation that exists when people lack secure access to
sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal
growth and development and an active and healthy life (FAO).
 Food insecurity is a household situation, not an individual
situation. While food insecurity affects everyone in a
household, it may affect them differently.
 Refers to lack of food access based on financial and other
material resources.
FOOD INSECURITY

6.  Hunger: a condition in which a person, for a sustained period,
is unable to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs.
 It is the uneasy or painful
sensation caused by a lack
of food.
 Chronic hunger is a
consequence of diets
persistently inadequate in terms of quantity and/or quality.
HUNGER

7.  A state of extreme hunger resulting from a lack of essential
nutrients over a prolonged period.
 It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans prolonged
starvation can cause permanent organ damage and
eventually, death.
 Malnutrition is a general term that indicates a lack of some or all
nutritional elements necessary for human health.
 Malnutrition is estimated to contribute to more than one third of
all child deaths.
 Lack of access to highly nutritious foods, especially in the
present context of rising food prices, is a common cause of
malnutrition
STARVATION
MALNUTRITION

8. • India has the second largest arable land (184 million ha)
in the world after USA.
• Also about 39% of the total cultivated area is irrigated.
Land &
irrigation
• Today, India ranks second worldwide in farm output.
• India is the largest producer of pulses, milk, tea, cashew
and jute.
• Second largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits, vegetables,
cotton, sugarcane and oilseeds
Production
• Total food grain production in India in 2013-14 is 264.4
million tonnes.
• Rice and wheat production in the country stood at 106.3
and 95.8 million tonnes respectively.
Production
of food
grains
IS INDIA FOOD SHORT?
Source: Ministry of agriculture, Economic Survey
2013-14

9.  India has
 190.7 (15.2% of its population) million undernourished people
(FAO, 2014)
 43% of the world's underweight children (WHO)
 58% of the world's stunted children (WHO)
 over 46% undernourished children (WHO).
 According to latest Global Hunger Index report released on
October 13, 2014 by the International Food Policy Research
Institute (IFPRI), India ranks 55 among 76 emerging economies,
but is still trailing behind countries like Thailand, China, Ghana,
Iraq, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

10.  The Global Food Security Index is a benchmarking tool that assesses
the state of food security in 109 countries, measured across three
internationally recognized dimensions: Accessibility, Affordability
and Quality & Safety.
 Food security improved in most countries in 2014.
 Although developed, Western countries continued to have the highest
levels of food security and Sub-Saharan African countries remained at
the bottom of the rankings, the gap between the highest and lowest
performers narrowed.
 India ranks 69 (out of 109) in the global food security index with a
score of 48.3 (out of 100).

12. The issue of food security is very much related to:
Increased agricultural productivity
Management of natural resources like land, water etc.
Environmental protection
Through Green Revolution, India achieved self sufficiency in food
grains by the year 1976 and since then Indian imports of cereals have
remained negligible (except in 2006-07).
Between 1950-51 and 2013-14 food grains production has increased
from 51 million tones to 264.4 million tones- a five fold increase in
the production of food grains.

13. YEAR FOOD GRAIN PRODUCTION
(MILLION TONNES)
2000-01 196.8
2001-02 212.85
2002-03 174.77
2003-04 213.19
2004-05 198.36
2005-06 208.60
2006-07 217.28
2007-08 230.78
2008-09 234.47
2009-10 218.11
2010-11 244.49
2011-12 259.29
2012-13 257.13
2013-14 264.4
Source : Directorate of economics and statistics

15. YEAR FRUITS VEGETABLES TOTAL
2001-02 43 89 132
2007-08 66 128 194
2008-09 68 129 197
2009-10 71 134 205
2010-11 75 147 222
2011-12 76 156 232
Source : Directorate of economics and statistics, Department of Agriculture and cooperation

16. YEAR FRUITS VEGETABLES TOTAL
2001-02 114 236 350
2007-08 158 309 467
2008-09 163 306 469
2009-10 167 313 480
2010-11 170 332 502
2011-12 172 350 522
Source : Directorate of economics and statistics, Department of Agriculture and cooperation
Average per capita milk production is 285 g/day, while intake recommended under
RDA is about 230 g (300 g/day for a vegetarian and 200 g for a non-vegetarian).

17.  The growth in food grain production has stagnated during recent
past while the consumption need of the growing population is
increasing.
 To meet the growing food grain demand, National Development
Council (NDC) in its 53rd meeting adopted a resolution to enhance
the production of rice, wheat and pulses by 10, 8 and 2 million
tonnes respectively by 2011.
 The proposed Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘National Food Security
Mission (NFSM) launched from 2007-08 is to operationalize the
resolution of NDC and enhance the production of rice, wheat and
pulses.
 The NFSM has three components (i) National Food Security
Mission - Rice (NFSM-Rice); (ii) National Food Security Mission -
Wheat (NFSM-Wheat); and National Food Security Mission -
Pulses (NFSM Pulses).

18.  Increasing production of rice, wheat and pulses through area
expansion and productivity enhancement in a sustainable manner in
the identified districts of the country;
 Restoring soil fertility and productivity at the individual farm level;
 Creation of employment opportunities; and
 Enhancing farm level economy (i.e. farm profits) to restore
confidence amongst the farmers.

19.  NFSM – Rice: Total States:12
 Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
 Total identified districts: 133
 NFSM – Wheat: Total States: 9
 Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan,
 Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
 Total identified districts: 138
 NFSM – Pulses: Total States:14
 Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh
and West Bengal
 Total identified districts:168
 Total States under NFSM: 16
 Total identified districts under NFSM: 305

20.  The NFSA was notified on 10 September 2013, with the objective of
providing food and nutritional security, by ensuring access to
adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices.
 Coverage: 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of the
urban population.
 Entitlement of 5 kg of food grains per person per month for priority
households and 35 kg per household per month for Antyodaya Anna
Yojana (AAY) households at subsidized prices of Rs 3 per kg of rice,
Rs 2 per kg of wheat, and Rs 1 per kg of coarse grains.
 Pregnant women and lactating mothers during pregnancy and six
months after the childbirth will also be entitled to maternity benefit of
not less than Rs 6000.
 Children up to 14 years of age will be entitled to nutritious meals or
take-home rations as per prescribed nutritional standards.

21.  Based on the provisions of the Act, the food grain requirement for the
TPDS and other schemes is estimated at 614.3 lakh tonnes.
 The average annual procurement of wheat and rice has been 617.8
lakh tonnes during 2008-09 to 2012-13, i.e. 33.2 per cent of average
annual production.
 State Food Commissions are established to monitor and evaluate the
implementation of the act, give advice to the states governments and
their agencies, and inquire into violations of entitlements.
 State governments also put in place an internal grievance redressal
mechanism which includes call centres, help lines, designation of
nodal officers, “or such other mechanisms as may be prescribed”.
 The State Government appoints or designate the District Grievance
Redressal Officer who shall hear complaints regarding non
distribution of entitled food grains or meals and take necessary action
for their redressal
Source: Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD)

22.  FCI is the main government agency entrusted with the storage of food
grains in the central pool.
 Total storage capacity of the FCI and state agencies is 74.35 million
tonnes.
 Food grains are normally stored in covered godowns, silos, and in the
open, referred to as Covered and Plinth (CAP).
 However, FCI’s own storage capacity has been insufficient to
accommodate the central pool stock of food grains.
 FCI hires space from various agencies such as the central and state
warehousing corporations, state government agencies and private
parties.
 Average annual rate of increase in storage capacity of FCI is 4.5%
 Growth of rice and wheat stocks in central pool is more than 18%

23.  More than 64% of country’s storage capacity in Punjab, Haryana, AP,
MP and UP
 Fourteen states/UTs account for more than 95 per cent of the
country’s storage capacity
 The remaining 21 states survive and manage on 5 per cent of the
country’s storage capacity.
 The dearth of storage capacity in these states implies a huge strain on
the transport and distribution machinery of states.
Source: Evolution and Critique of Buffer Stocking Policy of India, Shweta Saini & Marta Kozicka

24. State/UT Per cent of total
storage capacity
Per cent of total
CWC warehouses
Per cent of total
SWC warehouses
Punjab 25.1 5 7
Uttar Pradesh 12.2 10 9
Haryana 9.8 6 6
Madhya Pradesh 8.9 6 16
Andhra Pradesh 8.4 10 8
Maharashtra 6.6 9 11
Source: Evolution and Critique of Buffer Stocking Policy of India, Shweta Saini & Marta Kozicka

25.  Food Grains
FCI- nodal agency that undertakes open-ended procurement,
distribution, and storage of food grains.
 Coarse grains are procured by state governments and their agencies.
 Oilseeds & Pulses
 The National Agricultural Cooperative
Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED),
 National Cooperative Consumers’
Federation of India Limited (NCCF),
 CWC
 The Small Farmers’Agribusiness
Consortium (SFAC)
procurement of
oilseeds and
pulses under the
Price Support
Scheme (PSS)

26.  Currently procurement is carried out in two ways:
 Centralised procurement : FCI buys crops directly from farmers.
 Decentralised procurement: central scheme under which 10 states/
(UTs) procure food grains for the central pool at MSP on behalf of
FCI.
 To encourage local procurement of food grains and minimise
expenditure incurred when transporting grains from surplus to deficit
states over long distances.
 These states directly store and distribute the grains to beneficiaries in
the state.
 Any surplus stock over the state’s requirement must be handed over to
FCI.
 In case of a shortfall in procurement against an allocation made by the
centre, FCI meets the deficit out of the central pool.

27.  Procurement operations successful
◦ for rice and wheat
◦ in Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
STATE WHEAT RICE
Andhra Pradesh - 35.75 (13.67)
Chhatisgarh - 53.37 (20.41)
Haryana 58.73 (23.40) 23.97 (9.17)
MP 63.55 (25.32) 10.40 (3.97)
Odisha - 18.92 (7.23)
Punjab 108.97 (43.42) 81.06 (31.01)
Rajasthan 12.68 (5.05) 0.00
UP 6.83 (2.72) 10.70 (4.09)
Total 250.92 261.37
Source: Deptt. of Food and Public Distribution(Figures in parentheses indicate percentage)

29.  Annapoorna yojana:
10 kg food grain per card per month
destitutes who are above 65 years of age
not covered in state or central social security pension
scheme.
 Family Benefit Scheme:
BPL Families who have lost their primary bread winner
 Targeted Public Distribution Schemes:
Primarily, below poverty line families
Most cases 35 kgs per family per month

30.  Antyodaya Anna Yojana:
Poorest of the poor in rural and urban areas
They are issued special yellow ration cards
35 kg food grain per family per month
 Integrated Child Development Services:
Pre-school children, adolescent girls,
pregnant and lactating women
 Mid-day Meal Scheme:
All children in government and primary schools
A fresh cooked meal each day, for at least 200 days a year.
 Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana:
Funds and food grains allocated to the States/UTs
on the basis of proportion of the rural poor in a State to the
total rural poor in the country.

32.  Definition: Public distribution system is a government-
sponsored chain of shops (Fair price shops) entrusted with the
work of distributing basic food and non-food commodities to
the needy sections of the society at very cheap prices.
 PDS is a national food security system that distributes
subsidized food to India’s poor.
 It means distribution of essential commodities to a large
number of people through a network of Fair Price Shops (FPS)
on recurring basis.
 The commodities distributed are as follows:
Wheat
Rice
Sugar
Kerosene

33.  PDS with a network of about 4.99 lakh Fair Price Shops (FPS) is
perhaps the largest distribution network of its type in the world.
 PDS is operated under the cooperative responsibility of the
Central and the State Governments.
 The Central Government has taken the responsibility for
procurement, storage, transportation and bulk allocation of food
grains, etc.
 The responsibility for distributing essential commodities to the
consumers through the network of Fair Price Shops (FPSs) rests
with the State Governments.
 The operational responsibilities including allotment within the
State, recognition of families below poverty line, issue of ration
cards, supervision and monitoring the functioning of FPS’s rest
with the State Governments.

34. Farmer/
producers
FCI
(maintains
buffer
stock)
Consumer
Fair
Price
Shops
States
Grains MSP
Allocates grains
Central Issue Price
Distributes
grains

35.  PDS said to have existed from before independence in India,
and was initially intended to protect consumers from food
shortages and producers from price fluctuations (Tarozzi
2002).
 Originally started at a few urban centres, but extended in the
1980s as a measure for food security and poverty alleviation
(DFPD 2010).
 World war II, British government introduced the first
structured public distribution of cereals in India
through the rationing system in Bombay and Calcutta.
 By the end of 1943, 13 cities had been brought under the
coverage of rationing

36.  When the War ended in 1943, India abolished the rationing
system.
 In 1950 India reintroduced rationing owing to inflationary
pressure in the economy .
 Due to the ineffectiveness of Rationing System to reach the
poor
Revamped Public distribution System (RPDS) was launched on Jan
1, 1992 and made effective from June 1, 1992, in selected blocks
(1775 blocks).
 In June, 1997, Targeted Public distribution system (TPDS)
was launched. To target the needy people and provide them an
assured supply of food grains.
 It aims to reach a target of 60 million families below poverty
line.

37.  GOI introduced targeting in PDS
To lower food subsidy for the households Above Poverty Line
Keeping the level of support roughly constant for the BPL.
 BPL households face prices for essential commodities at half the
“economic cost” borne by FCI in procuring and distributing these
items
 APL households bear the full “economic cost”
 The allocation of food grains to the States/UTs was on
the basis of average annual off-take of food grains under the PDS
during the past 10 years

38.  Identification and classification of beneficiaries is crucial
 Beneficiaries Under TPDS:
1) BPL
2) APL
 Each state government identifies eligible BPL households
 inclusion and exclusion criteria evolved by the Ministry of Rural
Development.
 The Planning Commission calculates the total number of BPL
beneficiaries state wise.
 Such households entitled to receive a BPL ration card.
 APL households were not identified and any household above the
poverty line could typically apply for an APL ration card.

39.  The total number of BPL families is 652.03 lakh as against 596.23
lakh families originally estimated when TPDS was introduced in June
1997.
 Eligible beneficiaries are entitled to subsidised food grains such as
wheat and rice.
 States have the discretion to provide other commodities such as sugar,
kerosene, and fortified atta under TPDS.
Contd..

40.  AAY: launched in December 2000
 for the poorest among the BPL families providing them food grains at a
highly subsidized rate of Rs 2 per kg. for wheat and Rs 3 per kg for rice.
 Allocation of food grains made - issue of distinctive AAY Ration Cards
to the identified Antyodaya families.
 Priority groups:
(i) landless agricultural labourers, marginal farmers, rural artisans
/craftsmen such as potters and tanners, slum dwellers
(ii) persons earning their livelihood on a daily basis in the informal sector
such as porters, rickshaw pullers, cobblers
(iii) destitute
(iv) households headed by widows or terminally ill persons, disabled
persons, persons aged 60 years or more with no assured means of
subsistence, and (v) all primitive tribal households.
 The above guidelines have been amended dated 3rd June, 2009 to
include all eligible BPL families of HIV positive persons in the AAY list

41. CATEGORY NO. OF BENE FICIARIES
(CRORE FAMILIES)
ENTITLEMENT OF FOOD
GRAINS (KG/FAMILY)
AAY 2.43 35
BPL 4.09 35
APL 11.52 15-35
TOTAL 18.04 -
APL families are allocated food grains depending on availability
of central stocks and offtake in the last three years.
Sources: Unstarred Question No. 256, Lok Sabha, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public
Distribution, Answered on February 26, 2013; Department of Food and Public Distribution; PRS.

42. As On
Wheat Rice Total
Actual
stock
Minimum
Buffer
norms
Actual
stock
Minimum
Buffer
norms
Actual
stock
Minimum
Buffer
norms
1.1.2009 182.12 112.00 175.76 138.00 357.88 250.00
1.1.2010 230.92 112.00 243.53 138.00 474.45 250.00
1.1.2011 215.40 112.00 255.80 138.00 471.20 250.00
1.1.2012 256.76 112.00 297.18 138.00 553.94 250.00
1.1.2013 343.83 112.00 322.21 138.00 666.04 250.00
1.1.2014 280.47 112.00 146.98 138.00 427.45 250.00
Source: Food, Civil supplies and consumer affairs
Stock position of food grains in the central pool vis-
à-vis minimum buffer norms (lakh MT)

43. Year Amount(crore)
2001-02 17,494.00
2002-03 24,176.45
2003-04 25,160.00
2004-05 25,746.45
2005-06 23,071.00
2006-07 23,827.00
2007-08 31,259.68
2008-09 43,668.08
2009-10 58,242.45
2010-11 62,929.56
2011-12 72,370.00
2012-13 75,000.00
Quantum of food subsidies released by government of India
Source: Department of food and public distribution.

44. SCHEME RICE WHEAT TOTAL
AAY 75.68 51.12 126.80
BPL 109.32 52.71 162.03
APL 60.04 96.24 156.27
TOTAL 245.04 200.07 445.11
Source: Department of food and public distribution

45. State/UT Total Allocation Total Offtake % offtake to
allocation
Assam 436.97 434.59 99.45
Bihar 1515.4 1268.05 83.67
Gujarat 1483.05 1001.83 67.55
Haryana 464.27 341.53 73.56
MP 2015.67 1903.74 94.44
Maharashtra 2098.47 1901.91 90.63
Odisha 386.72 288.39 74.57
Punjab 636.02 365.58 57.47
Rajasthan 2020.27 1939.22 95.98
WB 2021.72 1863.26 92.16
Total 19318.58 16789.52 86.90
Source: Department of food and public distribution

46. STATE ALLOCATION OFFTAKE % OFFTAKE TO
ALLOCATION
Andhra Pradesh 2949.46 2199.59 74.57
Assam 1135.41 1026.58 90.41
Bihar 1571.16 1667.31 106.11
Karnataka 1799.57 1793.99 99.6
Kerala 989.35 1000.63 101.14
Maharashtra 1867.4 1723.66 92.30
Odisha 1439.84 1434.89 99.65
Tamil Nadu 2984.53 2477.71 83.01
Uttar Pradesh 2287.48 2268.45 99.16
West Bengal 1192.61 1098.96 92.14
Total 22317.14 20642.41 92.49
Source: Department of food and public distribution

47.  The implementation of TPDS is accompanied by large
◦ Errors of Exclusion (of BPL families)
◦ Inclusion (of APL)
◦ Prevalence of ghost BPL cards.
 High exclusion errors imply low coverage of the target group (BPL
households).
 TPDS also suffers from diversions of subsidized grains to unintended
beneficiaries (APL households) because of Error of Inclusion.
 In Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil
Nadu, the proportion of subsidized grains received by APL
households is unacceptably large
Source: Performance Evaluation of Targeted Public
Distribution System (TPDS)- 2005

48. Type of
leakage
Percent States
Total
leakage
Abnormal leakage >70 % Bihar and Punjab
Very high leakage 25-50% Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh,
Karnataka, Maharashtra and Rajasthan
Low leakage <25 % AP, Kerala, Orissa, TN and west Bengal
Leakage
at fair
price
shop
Very high leakages >50% Bihar, Haryana and Punjab
High leakage 25-50% UP & Rajasthan
Moderate
leakage
10-25 % Bihar, Gujarat, KTK,
Maharashtra,Orissa,TN and West Bengal
Low leakage <10% Assam,HP,MP, Orissa,TN & West Bengal.
Leakage
through
ghost
card
Very high Leakage >50% Assam, HP &MP.
High leakage 10-50% Bihar, Gujarat,Ktk,Maharashtra, Orissa,
Uttarpradesh and west Bengal
Moderate leakage <10% AP,Haryana,Kerala,Punjab, Rajasthan and
TN
Leakages from PDS
Source: Food Security in India: Biswajit Chaterjee, 2012

49.  Identification of eligible households
 61% of the eligible population was excluded from the BPL list while
25% of non-poor households were included in the BPL list.
 Leakage of food grains during transportation and from the ration
shop itself into the open market.
 Offtake of grains increased as against total allocation to states over
the last 10 years.
 NSSO (2009-10) data shows consumption under TPDS was only 60%
of the total offtake .
 This implies that nearly 40% of offtake is leaked into the open market.
 The food subsidy increased from Rs 21,200 crore in 2002-03 to Rs
75,000 crore in 2012-13.
 Holding of stocks above the minimum buffer norms adversely
impacts prices of grains in the open market.
Source: Functioning of the PDS- An analyical report by Sakshi Balani , Dec 2013

50.  Proposals have been made to integrate the Unique Identification or
Aadhaar number with TPDS
◦ to accurately identify and authenticate beneficiaries
◦ help eliminate duplicate and ghost (fake) beneficiaries
 Technology-based reforms of TPDS help plug leakages of food
grains during TPDS
◦ Ration cards digitization: online entry and verification of beneficiary
data
◦ Computerized FPS allocation: quick & efficient tracking of transaction
◦ Issue of smart cards in place of ration cards: Secure electronic devices
used to store beneficiary data
◦ Use of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to track movement
of trucks carrying food grains from state depots to FPS
◦ SMS based monitoring: citizens can register their mobile numbers and
send/receive SMS alerts during dispatch and arrival of TPDS commodities
Sources: Justice Wadhwa Committee Report on Computerisation of PDS Operations, 2009; PRS.

51. Provision Current TPDS National Food Security Act
Coverage
18.04 crore families x 5
(average no. of members in a
family
Up to 75% of rural and 50%
of urban about 81.34 crore
beneficiaries
Entitlements
BPL and AAY: 35
kg/family/month APL: 15 – 35
kg/family/month
Priority: 5 kg/person/month
AAY: 35 kg/family/month
Prices of food grains
AAY: Rs 3/kg rice, Rs 2/kg
wheat, and Re 1/kg coarse
grains Other categories: differs
across states
All categories: Rs 3/kg for
rice, Rs 2/kg for wheat, and
Re 1/ kg of coarse grains
Grievance
redressal mechanism
State governments ensures
monitoring; vigilance
committees to be set up at state,
district, block and ration shop
levels
Appoints district grievance
redressal officers; establishes
State Food Commissions;
and vigilance committees at
state, district, block and
ration shop levels
Sources: PDS (Control) Order, 2001; National Food Security Act, 2013; PRS.

52.  The quantum of food subsidy has increased due to
constant CIP and increasing MSP.
 The margin of stocks above the minimum buffer stocks
has been increasing over the years – impacts prices of
grains in the open market.
 A leakage of about 40 per cent of the food grains from
the TPDS network was observed in 2009-10.
 There has been a decline in the per capita availability of
pulses over time which is a major source of protein.