(a) whether ration cards are not being issued by many States, if so, the details thereof;
(b) the provisions made by the Union Government in this regard;
(c) whether the matter regarding negligence has come to light in this regard, if so, the details thereof during the last three years, State-wise;
(d) whether the Central Government has raised this issue with State Governments, if so, the details thereof;
(e) if not, the reasons therefor?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)
(a) & (b): Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the State/Union Territory (UT) Governments. Central Government is responsible for procurement, allocation and transportation of foodgrains upto the designated depots of the Food Corporation of India. The operational responsibilities for allocation and distribution of foodgrains within the States/UTs, identification of eligible beneficiaries, issuance of ration cards to them and supervision over and monitoring of functioning of Fair Price Shops (FPSs) rest with the concerned State/UT Governments.
As per clause 3 and 4 of TPDS(Control) Order, 2015, State/UT Governments shall issue ration cards to eligible households.
...2/-
...2...
National food Security Act, 2013 provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50% of the urban population for receiving subsidized foodgrains under TPDS, thus covering about two-thirds of the population which results in a total of approximately 81.35 crore beneficiaries. Within the coverage under TPDS determined for each State, the work of identification of eligible households is to be done by States/UTs.
As per information made available by State/UT Governments, as on 18.07.2017, 23.15 crore ration cards have been issued by States/UTs Government to eligible beneficiaries.
(c) to (e): There have been complaints about irregularities in the functioning of the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) including non issuance of ration cards to eligible beneficiaries etc. in some States/regions in the country. Since operational responsibilities for implementation of TPDS within the State/UT rest with the State/UT Governments concerned, as and when such complaints are received by the Government from individuals, organizations, through press reports, etc., these are referred to the State/UT Governments concerned, if required, for inquiry and appropriate action. A statement indicating State-wise number of complaints on Targeted Public Distribution System [TPDS] received from 2014 to 2016 is at Annexure.
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ANNEXURE
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) to (e) OF THE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2678 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 01.08.2017 IN THE LOK SABHA
STATEMENT: COMPLAINTS ON TPDS RECEIVED IN THE DEPARTMENT FROM INDIVIDUALS, ORGANISATIONS & THROUGH MEDIA REPORTS ETC FROM 2014 TO 2016
S. No.
State/UT
2014
2015
2016
1
Andhra Pradesh
4
8
5
2
Arunachal Pradesh
1
1
-
3
Assam
5
34
32
4
Bihar
55
106
81
5
Chhattisgarh
3
6
9
6
Delhi
78
113
91
7
Goa
-
-
1
8
Gujarat
16
8
12
9
Haryana
26
35
34
10
Himachal Pradesh
-
4
5
11
J&K
-
5
3
12
Jharkhand
16
32
29
13
Karnataka
6
16
22
14
Kerala
1
16
22
15
Madhya Pradesh
7
17
24
16
Maharashtra
25
48
62
17
Manipur
1
6
4
18
Meghalaya
2
7
9
19
Mizoram
-
-
-
20
Nagaland
3
-
2
21
Orissa
8
22
43
22
Punjab
5
10
7
23
Rajasthan
31
33
59
24
Sikkim
-
-
-
25
Tamil Nadu
7
22
33
26
Telangana
-
10
1
27
Tripura
-
-
1
28
Uttarakhand
8
24
21
29
Uttar Pradesh
137
197
461
30
West Bengal
11
32
29
31
A&N Island
-
-
1
32
Chandigarh
3
6
2
33
D& N Haveli
1
-
1
34
Puducherry
-
-
-
TOTAL
460
818
1106
***