Puducherry will abandon the direct benefit transfer (DBT) experiment and return to the public distribution system (PDS) next month. Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday gave in-principle approval to Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy’s request to allow procurement of 48,000 tonnes of single-boiled rice for the Union Territory’s ration shops from local farmers.
The DBT scheme, which transfers cash to beneficiary bank accounts instead of selling them subsidised grain, was launched as a pilot project in September 2015 but the Union Territory faced several challenges in implementing the scheme, including drought over the last two years leaving its farmers in distress.
In his meeting with Mr. Paswan, Mr. Narayanasamy urged the Centre to allow procurement of 80,000 tonnes of paddy from local farmers, according to an official statement. Puducherry’s requirement under the National Food Security Act is 45,000 tonnes of rice.
Popular preference
The Chief Minister apprised the Centre of the fact that the people in the Union Territory preferred to have grain and demanded that this be made available under the PDS. As the Food Corporation of India had not procured or provided single-boiled rice, Puducherry would procure it locally at minimum support price. A proposal would be sent to the Centre within 15 days.
According to the statement, Mr. Paswan emphasised that arrangements must be made for accurate tagging of beneficiaries with ration shops, proper transportation of the procured rice, and regular checks to prevent malpractice.