Centre Rules Out Doorstep Delivery Of Food Grains For Elderly And Disabled Under PDS

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The union government has said it has no plans to introduce doorstep delivery of food grains under the public distribution system (PDS), even for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and disabled beneficiaries.

The clarification comes amid growing calls from civil society groups and rights advocates for the government to ensure easier access to food entitlements for people with disabilities and senior citizens.

In a written response to Lok Sabha on Wednesday, union minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution Pralhad Joshi said the existing framework of the PDS, governed by the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, does not provide for delivering food grains directly to beneficiaries' homes.

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The minister said operational responsibilities-such as lifting, transporting and distributing food grains to the doorsteps of fair-price shops-fell under the purview of state governments. While food grains were delivered to fair-price shops, it was the responsibility of beneficiaries to collect their entitlements from these outlets, he added.

Feeding India's poorest

Beneficiaries fall into one of two categories under the NFSA framework-Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households and priority households (PHH), as determined by union and state guidelines, respectively. However, the act has no special provisions for disabled or elderly persons, and there is currently no proposal under consideration to extend doorstep delivery to them, the ministry said.

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There are at present about 81.35 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), which provides free food grains to both AAY and PHH households. The scheme was extended for five years from 1 January 2024. Each AAY household receives 35 kg of food grains a month, while each person in the PHH category receives 5 kg a month.

The annual food subsidy from the government for the distribution of food grains to AAY households, PHH beneficiaries, other welfare schemes, and tide-over allocations work out to around ₹2.13 trillion, according to the ministry's website. Assuming a rise in economic costs, the union government expects to spend about ₹11.80 trillion over the next five years on food subsidies under PMGKAY to ease the financial burden of India's poorest, according to the ministry's website.

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