The Public Distribution System (PDS) is a critical component of India’s food security framework. It plays a vital role in ensuring that essential commodities like food grains are available to the most vulnerable sections of society at subsidized rates.

Definition and Overview

Definition: The Public Distribution System (PDS) is a government-sponsored chain of shops that distribute basic food and non-food commodities to India’s poor at subsidized prices. Major commodities distributed include staple grains like rice, wheat, sugar, and kerosene. The PDS operates through a network of Fair Price Shops (FPS) across the country.

Objective: The primary objective of the PDS is to ensure the availability of essential commodities to the poor at affordable prices, thereby protecting them from the effects of inflation and ensuring food security.

Functioning: The PDS operates under the joint responsibility of the Central and State Governments. The Central Government, through the Food Corporation of India (FCI), procures, stores, and transports food grains to the states, which then distribute these grains to the Fair Price Shops. The states are responsible for identifying eligible households, distributing food grains to these households, and ensuring the effective functioning of the FPS.

Historical Evolution

Pre-Independence Period: The concept of PDS dates back to the British colonial era when it was introduced as a wartime rationing measure during World War II to ensure the availability of essential commodities during periods of scarcity.

Example: The first formal food distribution system was introduced in the form of rationing during the Bengal famine of 1943.