Essay on Public Distribution System in India | Public Distribution System in India Essay for Students and Children

Essay on Public Distribution System in India: The public distribution system (PDS) in India is a scarcity management system adopted by the Indian Government. It collects food grains from the market and distributes them among the public through ration shops at affordable prices.

A large part of India’s population lives below the poverty line even today with a very low-income level and limited purchasing power, and PDS plays a very important role here.

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Long and Short Essays on Public Distribution System in India for Students and Kids in English

We are providing students with essay samples on a long essay of 500 words and a short essay of 150 words on the topic Public Distribution System in India for reference.

Long Essay on Public Distribution System in India 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Public Distribution System in India is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

During the 1960s, the demand and rise in the price of food grains were unmanageable with food scarcity. PDS was introduced as a major objective of the food policy of the Government to provide food security to the people. PDS was included in the 10th five-year plan. In India, even after independence still, 26% of the total population is living below poverty line (BPL group). PDS helps in India’s development processes by poverty alleviation.

The Government purchases food grains from the producers at a minimum support price and sells it to states at central issue prices. States transport food grains to each fair price shop (ration shop), where the beneficiary buys the food grains at the lower central issue price. PDS provides food and non-food items at lower prices through ration shops. The state governments manage the identification, issue of ration cards, supervision of the ration shops and allocation of food within the state.

Through Food Corporation of India (FCI), the central Government manages the procurement, storage, transportation and bulk allocations of food grains to state governments. Wheat, rice, sugar, kerosene, pulses, edible oils, iodized salt and spices are allocated to the States/UTs for mass consumption and distribution. To avoid the interference of the traders, the Government purchases food grains from the farmers at reasonable prices and to give farmers proper remunerations. These food grains are sold at lower affordable prices to underprivileged consumers.

PDS prevents fluctuations in the price and supply of food grains as the product solely depends on the monsoon. In the year of good harvest, the Government increases the buffer stock position after selling the necessary quantity from which it again sells in the bad harvest year. During inflation, a conducive situation for planned economic development is created through the public distribution system. The Government controls the minimum level of food grains import and maintains the self-sufficiency of food grains in India. The government has four methods for procuring food grains from internal sources. In the method of open market purchase, the Government pays higher prices to the producers than what the traders offer, but there is no compulsion on the producers.

In the pre-emption purchase method, there is an order issued by the Government for the producers to sell their product at the first instance. The Government procures the entire amount of the marketed surplus in case of monopoly procurement. Besides, there is a levy system by which the Government imposes a compulsory levy either on the producers (output levy) or on the traders (trade levy).

The rationing system in India protects poor consumers from the competition of the rich with higher purchasing power and income levels. The income inequality is very high in big cities whereas the poor class of people are inconvenienced. Thus, the rationing system was introduced in big cities to protect the interest of the consumers. To prevent the higher cost of living of industrial workers, the rationing system has been introduced. But the main problem of PDS is that it is only effective in urban areas whereas in rural areas the percentage of low-income families is more.

Short Essay on Public Distribution System in India 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Public Distribution System in India is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

The Indian Government procures and distributes food, particularly to the lower class by the public distribution system or PDS through fair price shops (FPSs). It collects the food grains from the producers and distributes them at subsidized prices to the people. mThe consumers have to purchase a part of their requirements from the open market at higher prices, and the quality of food grains available at ration shops are also inferior in many cases.

Through PDS, the interest of the consumers has been protected. Producers have also been guaranteed a minimum support price and the production of food grains have also increased considerably. Higher procurement prices benefit the rich farmers because they have a marketable surplus, whereas the small and marginal farmers are not benefitted. Although the middle and lower-class people of urban areas have the benefits of getting food grains at lower prices, those in the rural areas are not benefitted as a major percentage of the rural population lives under the poverty line.

10 Lines on Public Distribution System in India in English

PDS was first executed in the 1960s during the time of the severe food crisis in India.
The Government purchases the food grains from the producers and sells these in the markets at lower prices.
The Government wanted to create a balance between the producers and the consumers.
The Government introduced various methods under PDS.
Although PDS forms an important food and nutrition policy of the Government, a large proportion of people in India is still malnourished.
In June 1992, PDS tried to improve coverage to the disadvantaged people of remote or inaccessible areas.
It was reconstructed in June 1997 with a targeted population living in the lower socio-economic areas.
By life cycle approach method, the importance of food security was emphasized by the National Food Security Act.
In India, PDS is not effective in all the states.
The complexities in PDS in India rise from problems of targeting, diversion and corruption.