Number Theory: Understanding the rejig in India’s food security programme

India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) after the enactment of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) promises 5kg foodgrain per persons at a highly subsidised cost of ₹3/kg for rice, ₹2/kg for wheat and ₹1/kg for cereals. The government will stand to lose this revenue after the decision to make PDS entitlements free.

On December 24, the Union government announced a rejig of India’s food security programme. It has discontinued the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna (PMGKY) after December 2022 but made the usual Public Distribution System (PDS) entitlements completely free until December 2023. PMGKY was introduced in April 2020 after the Covid-19 pandemic and it gave 5kg of additional foodgrain to more than 800 million people. India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) after the enactment of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) promises 5kg foodgrain per persons at a highly subsidised cost of ₹3/kg for rice, ₹2/kg for wheat and ₹1/kg for cereals. The government will stand to lose this revenue after the decision to make PDS entitlements free. Here are four charts that explain the rejigging of India’s food security programme in detail.

Number Theory: Understanding the rejig in India’s food security programme