What are the reformative steps taken by the Government to make the food grain distribution system more effective?

Public Distribution System (PDS) is a poverty alleviation programme, contributing towards the welfare of poorer sections by providing them adequate quantities of essential items at affordable prices. But it has proved to be ineffective until now, as evident from the fact that Global Hunger Index, 2021 ranked India 101st. 

Issues in PDS.

1. Inaccurate Identification of beneficiaries.
2. Hoarding and black marketing of essential commodities
3. Leakages in the delivery system.
4. Financial inefficiency- cost of procuring and delivering food grains is about six times its sale price.
5. Shortfall in the storage capacity leading to wastage of food grains.

Measure taken by Government.

1. Revamped PDS (RPDS), to improve reach and strengthen PDS infrastructure.
2. Targeted PDS (TPDS), to focus on ‘Poor in all areas’: Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), a sub-scheme of the TPDS, to benefit the poorest of the poor.
3. Enacted National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, making the Right to Food a justiciable right.
4. One nation one ration card under Integrated Management of PDS (IM-PDS), to introduce nationwide portability of ration cards.
5. Linking of Aadhaar with PDS.
6. Installing Electronic Point of Sale (e-POS) devices at FPS.
7. Annavitran Portal to track electronic transactions.
8. Introduction of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme.

The steps taken are in the right direction making the PDS system more efficient with a better delivery system, checking black marketing and leakages. This will help farmers sell their produce at remunerative prices as well as allow the vulnerable sections of society to buy food grains at subsidised rates.

Thus, effective implementation of the PDS system has the capability to push India closer towards achieving SDG-2 i.e., zero hunger.