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Gujarat is the only state in the country where households purchasing food grains through the Public Distribution System (PDS) is seeing a decline,in both rural and urban areas.
Using the National Sample Survey data,we found that Gujarats per capita off take stood at 33 grams per day,which is far lower than states like Tamil Nadu,Andhra Pradesh,Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka,which,in spite of a lower proportion of population under the poverty line,have a more developed system of public distribution, says professor Niti Mehta,acting director of Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research (SPIESR).
While the proportion of households reporting grain purchases from PDS in Gujarat is around 18-20 per cent of the population,states like Himachal Pradesh,Kerala and Tamil Nadu have more than 50 per cent of the households buying PDS foodgrain.
The consumption of PDS foodgrain in Gujarat is not only low,but unlike other states unchanged in the 10 year period at 31-32 grams/day, said Mehta while presenting a study on Food security aspects and diversification of demand in the context of Gujarat at a seminar here.
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