Public Distribution System (PDS)

The Public Distribution System is a jointly managed food security network through which the Central and State governments procure, store, and distribute subsidized foodgrains to vulnerable households via a national network of Fair Price Shops.

Under Social Issues

• It serves as the state's principal mechanism for mitigating hunger, addressing malnutrition, and providing a social safety net against food price volatility.
• It anchors the national agricultural price support mechanism by guaranteeing public procurement at minimum support prices and managing strategic buffer stocks.
• It exemplifies major governance challenges in target efficiency, administrative leakages, logistics management, and Centre-State operational coordination.

In GS Paper III, UPSC typically frames questions around the structural inefficiencies of PDS, evaluating buffer stock norms, procurement costs, and leakage reduction. Questions in GS Paper II focus on governance interventions, analyzing technology-driven reforms such as biometric authentication, end-to-end supply chain digitization, and the feasibility of Direct Benefit Transfers. Candidates are expected to critically assess the balance between fiscal sustainability and the constitutional mandate of ensuring food security.

• Farm subsidies, minimum support prices, Public Distribution System GS3