Explain any three drawbacks of the Public Distribution System.
Drawbacks of the Public Distribution System:
- Limited benefits to the poor: The main drawback of PDS is that it is not able to reach the poor effectively. On the basis of a ration card, for distribution of essential goods via the PDS, one must have a ration card to consume the essential items. Hence migrated workers, who do not have residential evidence, do not get the ration card and are left out of the loop of PDS. Many poor families are not covered under the PDS scheme.
- Urban Bias: More than 85 percent of the total quantity consumed under PDS is in the urban areas and the PDS in the rural areas accounts for less than 75 percent of the total quantity consumed. Thus, even though PDS appears to be even-handed for all sections of the society, there is failure in achieving its target of helping the poor.
- Regional disparities in distribution: People in vulnerable areas were not able to receive any facilities of PDS due to weak infrastructure and low purchasing power. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the four southern states, account for 49 percent of the total PDS off take of food grains in India. In contrast, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, the four northern states, account for only 10 percent of the total PDS off take of food grains in India.