Question : TPDS in Andhra Pradesh

(a) the number of households being covered under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) in Andhra Pradesh;

(b) the criteria to identify beneficiaries under TPDS;

(c) whether the Government is aware that 0.56 crore households in Andhra Pradesh are receiving rations given by the State Government at its own expense;

(d) if so, the steps taken by the Government to reduce the burden of the State in providing rations to these households;

(e) whether it is true that in economically prosperous States like Maharashtra and Karnataka, TPDS coverage is 75% and 50% of rural and urban population respectively, while in Andhra Pradesh, it is only 61% and 41% respectively; and

(f) if so, the steps being taken by the Government to address this inadequate coverage for Andhra Pradesh under TPDS?

A N S W E R
MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a): The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) provides for coverage of 60.96% of rural and 41.14% of urban population of Andhra Pradesh, which as per last Census comes to 268.23 lakh persons, for receiving highly subsidized foodgrains. The State Government has identified all the 268.23 lakh beneficiaries under the Act.
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(b): The Act provides that the State Government shall, within the ceiling of beneficiaries determined for the State, identify the households to be covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana to the extent specified by the Central Government, in accordance with the guidelines applicable to the said scheme and the remaining households as priority households to be covered under the Targeted Public Distribution System, in accordance with such guidelines evolved by the State Government itself. Thus, the criteria for identification of beneficiaries under Priority Households Category may vary from State to State.

(c) & (d): The maximum coverage/ ceiling of 268.23 lakh persons determined by the erstwhile Planning Commission for the State of Andhra Pradesh is that for which Central Government provide subsidized foodgrains. There is no provision under the Act for coverage of additional beneficiaries over and above the ceiling of beneficiaries determined for the States/Union Territories. However, the States/UTs are free to provide cover for additional persons over and above the ceiling provided by the Central Government, from their own resources.

(e) & (f): The Act provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural and upto 50% of the urban population, at the all India level, for receiving highly subsidized foodgrains. Corresponding to this coverage, State/UT-wise percentage coverage was determined by the then Planning Commission (Now NITI Aayog) using the 68th round of NSSO Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (2011-12), Tendulkar Poverty estimates (2011-2012) and 2011 Population Census data and uniform methodology across states. The methodology of Planning Commission was such that the coverage under NFSA was higher for those States/UTs, where the size of the population below the cut off level of expenditure was relatively large in proportion to their total population vis-à-vis those states where the proportion was smaller. As the criteria for determination of State/UT-wise coverage is uniformly applicable to all the States/UTs, it is not possible to revise the coverage of a particular State/UT including Andhra Pradesh.
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