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Pranab Mukherjee asks states to bring PDS in order
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Saturday, 08 May, 2010, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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Admitting that rising food prices were hurting the common man, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has asked states to make the Public Distribution System functional and effective. This would ensure that vulnerable sections were protected from the impact of price rise.
"The Public Distribution System must be in place. It must be functional. It must be active. Sitting at the Centre, it is not possible to run PDS. It is primarily a responsibility of the state governments," Mukherjee said in reply to the debate on Finance Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
To improve functioning of TPDS (Targeted Public Distribution System), state & UT governments have been requested to
(i) review lists of BPL and AAY families and ensure timely availability of food grains at fair price shops
(ii) ensure greater transparency in functioning of TPDS
(iii) improve monitoring and vigilance at various levels; and
(iv) introduce new technologies such as computerisation of TPDS operations at various levels and smart-card-based delivery of essential commodities.
The proposed National Food Security law which, inter-alia, envisages entitling every family below the poverty line to 25 kg of food grains each month at subsidised prices, would also bring about broader systemic reforms in the Public Distribution System.
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