Including millets in the Public Distribution System
Hindustan TimesWith the International Year of Millets over, the modest millet is showing signs of revival. Last year, the government distributed 48.7 million tons of food grain to NFSA beneficiaries through the PDS; of this, rice and wheat accounted for 66.8 and 31.9%, respectively, while millets accounted for a mere 1.3%. The findings estimated that replacing one kg of rice with one kg of millets for a quarter of PDS beneficiaries would reduce the economic cost of the PDS by ₹913 crores. To account for this additional benefit, it is beneficial to use true cost accounting to estimate the ‘true’ cost of distributing rice, wheat, and millets through the PDS. It estimates costs associated with scarce water use and greenhouse gas emissions for each of these crops and find that the ‘true cost’ of distributing rice, wheat, and millets through the PDS is ₹68.5, ₹54.3, and ₹42.9 per kg.
History of this topic
28 million tonne food grains for poor under PDS either stolen or wasted: Study
Hindustan Times
MP to Include Millets in PDS
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