The Union department of food and public distribution has asked states to weed out ineligible beneficiaries of PMGKAY by the end of next month. But going by the obvious political risks, the exercise is unlikely to be completed soon.
A government release notes successful implementation of fortified rice supply, and progress in digitising ration cards and automating Fair Price Shops.
During natural calamities like droughts, floods or pandemics, cash transfers may not be of much help. It is a good policy to distribute food grains rather than cash.
PMGKAY was extended for three more months last week. An analysis of the scheme's beneficiaries shows that over 50% of the population in Gujarat and 38% in HP will benefit from it.
Paper suggests extreme poverty in India was as low as 0.8 per cent of population in 2019 & food transfers were instrumental in ensuring that it remained at that low level in pandemic year of 2020.
The collusion between the new class of bureaucrats, politicians, businessmen and trade union bosses perpetuates itself partly because of the short-run benefits and partly because they see no way out of the system, wrote author MH Mody in 1980.
IAF is firming up plans to revamp airlift capabilities with medium transport aircraft that will be assembled in India & serve as its main workhorse. Embraer is leading contender as of now.
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