(a) the policy of the Government regarding allotment of foodgrains to the States;
(b) whether the Union Government have recently decided to increase the allocation of
foodgrains for Public Distribution System and also for the Antyodaya Yojana; and
(c) if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION ( SHRI ASHOK PRADHAN )
(a),(b)&(c): The allocation of foodgrains for families below the poverty line (BPL) under the
Targetted Public Distribution System (TPDS) is made on the basis of the poverty estimates of
the Planning Commission based on the methodology of the Expert Group on `estimation of proportion
and number of poor` and taking into account the population projections of the Registrar General
as on 1.3.2000. The allocation of foodgrains for APL families in a State/UT was fixed on the
basis of the average annual lifting of foodgrains during the past 10 years minus the allocation
for BPL families at the time of introduction of TPDS.
Allocation of foodgrains (rice and wheat) to the BPL families which was initially 10 kg
per family per month was doubled to 20 kg per family per month w.e.f. 1.4.2000 and was increased
to 25 kg per family per month w.e.f. 12.7.2001. Antyodaya Anna Yojana announced by the Prime
Minister on 25.12.2001, envisages allocation of 25 kg of foodgrains per family per month at a
rate of Rs.2 a kg for wheat and Rs.3 a kg for ric to the identified beneficiaries. Allocation
of
foodgrains has been increased to 35 kg per family per month in respect of BPL and Antyodaya
families w.e.f. 1.4.2002 for a period of one year. Scale of issue for APL families has been
fixed at 35 kg per family per month for a period of one year w.e.f. 1.4.2002.