West Bengal launch ‘Duare Ration’ scheme
- West Bengal government launched the ‘Duare Ration’ (ration at doorstep) scheme for providing food grains under the Public Distribution System (PDS) at the doorstep for the entire population of the State.
- A mobile application, ""Khadya Sathi: Amar Ration Mobile App"" to help people apply for ration cards, was also launched.
About scheme
- Under the scheme, dealers would deliver ration at the doorstep of the beneficiaries.
- There are around 21000 rational dealers in the state and the government would provide a subsidy of Rs. 1 lakh to each dealer to purchase a delivery vehicle.
- Ration dealers will also be allowed to recruit two assistants for which state would pay half their salaries.
- Each vehicle would be parked at a convenient location in a neighbourhood so that residents need not walk more than 500 metres to avail the ration.
- It is expected to benefit around 10 crores of people of the state.
Public Distribution System
- The Public distribution system (PDS) is an Indian food Security System established under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution.
- PDS evolved as a system of management of scarcity through distribution of food grains at affordable prices.
- PDS is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the State Governments.
- The Central Government, through Food Corporation of India (FCI), has assumed the responsibility for procurement, storage, transportation and bulk allocation of food grains to the State Governments.