Targeted Public Distribution System (TDPS)

Context

Targeted Public Distribution System 

• It was launched by the government of India in 1997 with a focus on the poor.
• Under the PDS, states were for the identification of the poor as per state-wise poverty estimates of the planning commission for 1993-94.
• The requirement for formulating and implementing foolproof arrangements for the delivery of food grains and their distribution in a transparent and accountable manner at the FPS level.
• The allocation of food grains to the states or UTs based on the average consumption of the average annual off-take of food grains under the PDS during the past ten years at the time of the introduction of TPDS.
• The quantum of food grains over the requirement of Below Poverty Line families was provided to the states as transitory allocation.
• The additional allocation to states was also given.
• The transitory allocation was intended for the continuation of the benefit of subsidized food grains to the population Above the Poverty Line.
• Any sudden withdrawal of benefits existing under PDS from them was not considered desirable.
• The transitory allocation was issued at prices that were subsidized and higher than the prices for the BPL quota of food grains.
• The government of India increased the allocation to BPL families from 10 kg to 20 kg of food grains per family per month at 50 per cent of the economic cost and allocation to APL families at an economic cost from 1-4-2000.
• APL was fixed at 100 per cent of economic cost and the entire consumer subsidy could be directed to the benefit of the BPL population. this allocation was retained at the time of the introduction of TPDS.
• The Central Issue Prices were fixed in July and December 2000 for BPL and AAY respectively and in July 2002 for APL.
• The number of BPL families increased from 2000 by shifting the base to the population projections of the Register General instead of the population projection of 1995.
• The total number of BPL families increased to 652.03 lakh.
• Under the TPDS, the end retail price was fixed by the states or UTs after taking into account the margin for wholesalers or retailers, transportation charges, levies local taxes etc.

Implementation 

• Most states have adopted both inclusion and exclusion criteria to identify priority households for TDPS under the National Food Security Act 2013.
• States like Rajasthan, Sikkim, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh did not include TDPS benefits for single women, socially vulnerable groups, transgenders, persons with disabilities and those constantly.
• Most of the states did not include SCs and STs automatically.
• The NHRC issued notices to the centre, state and UTs to ensure that nobody eligible was deprived of the Right to food due to problems regarding biometric authentication.
• The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana was meant to provide free food grains to poor households during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Findings of the report 

• Findings from the Fifth Round of the National Family Health Survey also revealed that 89 per cent of children between the formative ages of 6 to 23 months do not receive a minimum acceptable diet.
• Children below the five years of adolescent girls and boys and pregnant women are being affected by anaemia.
• At least 67 per cent of children (6 to 59 months) have anaemia as compared to 58.6 per cent previous survey of 2015-16.
• 57 per cent of women and 25 per cent of men in the 15-49 age group have anaemia.
• Women its prevalence has increased from 53 per cent in 2015-16 to 57 per cent in 2019-21.
• In men, it has increased from 23 per cent to 25 per cent.