Context: Three women in Odisha died after consuming toxic mango kernel gruel, highlighting PDS issues.
Relevance: GS 1 (Society, Poverty)
- PDS Delays: Digitization and e-KYC mandates caused delays in food distribution.
- Historical Context: Hunger deaths in marginalized Adivasi communities are recurrent.
- Impact on Women: High anemia rates (49%) due to poor nutrition.
- Accessibility Challenges: Remote areas lack proper PDS infrastructure.
- Policy Issues: Welfare schemes rely on universal mobile and Aadhaar access, often unfeasible in rural areas.
PDS Scheme overview :
- Purpose: To distribute food grains and other essential commodities at affordable prices to the poor.
- Operational Responsibility: Joint responsibility of the Central and State Governments.
- Central Government Role: Procurement, storage, transportation, and bulk allocation of food grains through the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
- State Government Role: Allocation within the state, identification of eligible families, issue of ration cards, and supervision of Fair Price Shops (FPSs).
