Effectiveness of public distribution system a study of tribal and non tribal areas in Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

The present study aims to analyse the effectiveness of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in terms of availability, utilisation, physical accessibility, satisfaction level and nutritional contribution in tribal and non-tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh. The study is based on primary data collected from 400 beneficiaries using a structured interview schedule in tribal and non-tribal areas. The study finds that the beneficiaries of both tribal and non-tribal areas face the issue of non-availability of commodities on time at fair price shops. The irregularity is more severe in the tribal area than in the non-tribal area. Most of the beneficiaries in both areas utilise PDS commodities; however, the utilisation is slightly less in the tribal area than in the non-tribal area. The physical accessibility of services is unequal, with the tribal population having less accessibility. Further, the study finds that beneficiaries in both areas are satisfied with many aspects such as entitlement, issue price and location of fair price shops, except with the quality of commodities. The analysis of the study proves that PDS is crucial in ensuring food security, especially for the antyodaya anna yojana and below poverty line population. The present study explored the fact that though the contribution of subsidised commodities in nutritional security is significant, the beneficiaries in both areas face lots of problems such as irregularities in distribution, poor quality, lack of transparency, etc. Finally, the study recommends a need to improve the quality of commodities and operational inefficiencies of PDS, especially in tribal areas. newline