A relook at providing free foodgrain

Reforming Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana is not just about weeding out ineligible beneficiaries

- A K BHATTACHARYA

The food and supplies department of the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi has shared some startling data on the use of free foodgrain by its residents. The reported data, resulting from a survey that began some time back, shows that almost nine per cent of Delhi's total beneficiaries of free foodgrain under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) are ineligible. Of the 0.65 million ineligible beneficiaries, as many as 96,000 are car-owners, over 89,000 beneficiaries enjoy similar benefits from other states as well, and about 0.28 million either own land, pay income tax or function as directors of registered companies.

The proportion of ineligible beneficiaries under PMGKAY is slightly lower at the national level. India has at present 192 million ration cards issued to households, resulting in a total beneficiary count of 760 million. As recently reported in The Indian Express, about six per cent of these ration card holders have been found to be ineligible. This is a somewhat better outcome than in the country's capital, but it certainly is no cause for any celebration either. As many as 9.47 million ration card holders in the country pay income tax, another 1.75 million own four-wheelers, and another 0.53 million are directors on the boards of companies.