800 substandard grain samples found in PDS across Gujarat

PDS is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and state governments. While the Central government is responsible for procurement, allocation and transportation of foodgrains up to the designated depots of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the operational responsibility for intra-state allocation and distribution of foodgrains, identification of eligible beneficiaries, issuance of ration cards, and supervision and monitoring of Fair Price Shops lie with the state governments.
In the 800-odd cases where foodgrain samples were found to be sub-standard, 626 civil cases were filed, while an additional 79 criminal cases were also filed.

The Central government, in its defence, stated that in an effort to ensure supply of good quality food grains, it provides ample opportunities to the state governments to inspect the stocks, prior to lifting from FCI godowns. The government also stated that officers from the state government should be carrying out regular inspections to check the quality of foodgrains.

The Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) of Gujarat said it collects samples for both PDS as well as for mid-day meal schemes in the state.

“We collect samples for PDS randomly and mostly the samples are of food grains. We also collect samples for mid-day meal schemes in the state. These samples are sometimes collected on request and sometimes, we do it suo motu. Of the 20,000-odd samples we collect every month, only 6-7 per cent is found substandard. And only 0.3 per cent of these adulterated samples are found injurious to health. Most of the samples are of sub-standard nature,” said Dr Hemant Koshia, Commissioner, FDCA told The Indian Express.

Apart from Gujarat, at least 10 states had higher numbers of foodgrain samples that were found not conforming to standards. The highest number of such foodgrain samples were found in Uttar Pradesh (13,152 samples), Tamil Nadu (3,778), Rajasthan (2,891), Madhya Pradesh (2,900) and Maharashtra (1,454).

Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), where food grains were distributed free of cost between April 2020 and December 2022, over 3.44 crore people in Gujarat were given foodgrains through the PDS.