Volume : 3, Issue : 6, June - 2014

Corruption in Public Distribution System–A Micro Analysis

V. Chandra Sekaran

Abstract :

Our Government’s primary role to its citizen is to assure food for all. To carry out this, the Government of India under Ministry of Consumer affairs, Food and Public Distribution distributes food materials to the State Governments and it is a joint venture of both the governments to fulfil the very basic need of the people. The Central Government has established Ration shops in several States across the Country. In 2014–15, Our Finance Minister allocated1.15 trillion rupees for food subsidy. But, in reality the people living below poverty line have not been benefitted by the food subsidy provided by the government due to corruption from top to bottom. There are as many examples about corruption in public distribution. I just present one state as an example. The state of Andhra Pradesh has a population of 21million households as per census of 2011, but they have issued 24.5 million below poverty line card holders to get food subsidy. For every BPL card holder the family receives 35 kgs rice or wheat at subsidized price. This simply proves that 3.5 million cards are forged and it further paves way to receive the subsidized food items the same in the open market at a higher rate. Thus, this articles tries to elaborate the system is not functioning in a proper manner and also focuses on how to eradicate and provide healthy subsidised food to the people those who are really living below the poverty line.