Concurrent Evaluation of Implementation of National Food Security Act, 2013

Madhya Pradesh Second Quarterly Report

Districts Covered Mandsaur, Ratlam, Dewas

Submitted by Dr. Manu Gautam Associate Professor

M.P. Institute of Social Science Research (MPISSR) An Autonomous Institute of Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Ministry of Human Resource Development, GoI, New Delhi and Ministry of Higher Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal 6, Bharatpuri Administrative Area, UJJAIN (M.P.) – 456 010

Introduction

The objective of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department is to ensure availability of essential commodities and check malpractices in supply and trade of food grains, petroleum products, sugar and other notified items. The thrust nowadays is on ensuring supply of essential commodities to the targeted population i.e. people living below the poverty line. In the field of Consumer Protection, the department is entrusted with the smooth functioning of Consumer Grievances

Redressal Forums at the State and at the District level.

Department encourages consumer protection movement through the registered and recognized NGOs. To carry out these functions, the Department has along with

Mantralaya setup; Directorate of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Office of the Controller, Weights and Measures, Madhya Pradesh, Rajya Upbhokta Pratitoshan

Ayog and two Corporations-Madhya Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation and

Madhya Pradesh State Warehousing Corporation.

The survey of NFSA in the second quarter was done in three districts. These districts were Mandsaur, Ratlam and Dewas. As per the sampling given by the Ministry, the monitoring institution conducted survey of five FPS from each district. From each

FPS 15 respondents were interviewed. The total number of respondents from one district was thus 75 and 225 from all three sampled districts. Out of 225 respondents

180 were from Rural Area and the remaining 45 respondents were from urban area.

Total Coverage

Table 1: Total Coverage in the Second Quarter Field Work

Districts Total Rural Urban District Village District number Godown Vigilance Vigilance of Ration Committee Committee Shops Mandsaur 5 4 1 1 5 1 Ratlam 5 4 1 1 5 1 Dewas 5 4 1 1 5 1 Total 15 12 3 3 15 3

The table 1 shows the total coverage in Mandsaur, Ratlam and Dewas as the second quarter of field work. The total coverage incorporates 15 ration shops (five from each district), three district godowns (one from each district) and three district vigilance committees (one from each district) has been covered. In all the three districts

Vigilance Committee has been formed.

Household Identification

Table: 1.1: Frequency of FPS and Number of Respondents

Total Total Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas S.No. Area FPS Respondents FPS Resp. FPS Resp. FPS Resp. 1. Rural 4 60 4 60 4 60 12 180 2. Urban 1 15 1 15 1 15 3 45 Total 5 75 5 75 5 75 15 225

The distribution of sampled FPS in three districts was shown in table 1.1. It is clear from the table that in all the districts 12 shops were sampled from rural areas whereas three shops were taken from urban areas. Thus, from three districts 15 shops were sampled for the data collection. Similarly 60 respondents were from rural area in one district and 15 respondents were from urban area.

Table: 1.2: Selected Blocks/Divisions of Sampled Districts and Number of Respondents interviewed

Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas S.No. Block/ No. of Block/ No. of Block/ No. of Division Respondents Division Respondents Division Respondents 1. Mandsaur 30 (40) Ratlam 15 (20) Dewas 30 (40) 2. Garoth 15 (20 ) Bajna 15 (20) Bagli 15 (20) 3. Malhargarh 15 (20) Alot 15 (20) Kannod 15 (20) 4. Sitamahu 15 (20) Sailana 15 (20) Sonkatch 15 (20) 5. Jaowra 15(20) Total 75 (100) 75 (100) 75 (100)

Table 1.2 shows the shows the description of Blocks/Divisions covered during

the field survey in the sampled districts. In all the sampled districts rural and urban

areas were covered for the data collection. The coverage in Mandsaur and Dewas

districts stretched to four blocks and in Ratlam district it went up to five blocks. In all

three districts 15-15 respondents were interviewed from three shops in each district.

These respondents fulfilled the criterion of urban area coverage. In Mandsaur and

Dewas blocks 30 respondents were interviewed from rural areas. The following table

1.3 show the names of village/ward visited during the field survey and their respective

FPS Codes.

Table1.3: Name of the Village/Ward and their FPS Code

S.N Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas o. Name of the FPS Code Name of the FPS Code Name of the FPS Code Village/ Ward Village/ Ward Village/ Ward 1. Balaguda 1602048 Piplia Sisodia 1703027 Kamlapur 2004039 2. Hammal Pura Malekheda 1604010 1709003 Vijwad 2005019 (Urban) 3. Dhundhadka 1601105 Dhoswas 1701006 Ganjpura 2002050 4. Laduna 1603068 Sansar 1705002 Ralamandal 2001026 5. Ward No. Ward no. 1, 2, 40 1661134 Molava 1706055 2007052 27 (Urban) (Urban)

Household Information

The detailed information regarding the household visited like gender of HH head, number of HH members, adult and old age members, occupation status etc are shown in the following tables.

Table1.4: Gender of the Household Head/ Respondent

Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas S.No. Gender HH HH Head Resp. Resp. HH Head Resp. Head 1. Male 61 (81.3) 53 (70.7) 62 (82.7) 56 (74.7) 67 (89.3) 60 (80) 2. Female 14 (18.7) 22 (29.3) 13 (17.3) 19 (25.3) 8 (10.7) 15 (20) Total 75 75 75 75 75 75

Table1.5: Number of the Household Members

Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas Adults Adults Adults Minor Minor Minor S.No. Gender (18 (18 (18 (below Total (below Total (below Total and and and 18) 18) 18) above) above) above) 1. Male 113 74 187 115 65 180 153 73 226 2. Female 115 60 175 113 75 188 127 86 213 Total 228 134 362 228 140 368 280 159 439

Table1.6: adult members of the family above 65 years or disabled?

S.No Are all adult members of the family above 65 years or disabled? Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas

1. Yes 7(9.3) 6 (8) 3 (4)

2. No 68 (90.7) 69 (92) 72 (96)

Total 75 75 75

It is clear from table 1.6 that only 16 households were having adult member of the family which are above 65 and/disabled.

Table1.7: Occupation of the head of the household

S.No Occupation of the head of the household Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas 1. Landless agriculture labour 15 (20) 12 (16) 6 (8) 2. Casual workers/ daily wage earners 27 (36) 20 (26.7) 47 (62.7) Self-employed in agriculture with 3. 4 (5.3) 3 (4) 8 (10.7) ownership of less than one hectare land Self-employed in non-agricultural 4. 11 (14.7) 2 (2.7) 9 (12) activities Self-employed in agriculture with 5. 18 (24) 36 (48) 4 (5.3) ownership of more than one hectare land 6. Salaried employment/Govt. employee - 2 (2.7) 1 (1.3) Total 75 75 75

The table 1.7 depicts the complete scenario of the occupation of the ration card holders in three sampled districts. Among the interviewed ration card holders casual workers/daily wage earners in Dewas were found in abundance (62.7%). In Mandsaur and Ratlam also their per cent was significantly higher at 36 and 26.7 percent. In Ratlam

48 percent respondents came from self employed workers in agriculture with ownership of more than one hectare land activities. In the same category Mandsaur had

24 percent of workers. Among the respondents the percent of landless agriculture labours was 20, 16 and eight per cent in these three districts. The percent of respondents were also significantly less in practicing agriculture having less than one hectare of land and also in non-agriculture occupation. Among the respondents only three were having salaried employment/govt. employee.

Table1.8: Does the household meets any of the following condition?

Does the household meets any of Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas S.No the following condition? Yes No Yes No Yes No 1. Has four wheeler (non-commercial) 0 75 0 75 0 75

2. Has irrigated land above 5 acres 0 75 0 75 0 75

3. Member pays income tax 0 75 0 75 0 75

4. Member is Govt. servant 0 75 0 75 1 74

It is clear from the table 1.8 that all the interviewed respondents from Mandsaur and Ratlam were not having any conditions as mentioned in the table. These conditions deny the respondents from availing benefits under NFSA. Only one respondent in Dewas district was found employed as a government servant.

Table1.9: Source of Food grain consumed by the household in September 2018

Consumption of Food grain in kg Source of the food Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas S.No grains Rice Wheat Rice Wheat Rice Wheat 1. Own Farm 00 422 00 969 00 480 2. Market 17 1149 00 762 00 1423 3. PDS 321 1360 341 1385 399 1718 Total 338 2931 341 3116 486 3621

It is clear from table 1.9 that source of food grains consumed in all three districts in the month of September 2018 was significantly PDS. The second most preferred source was from Market and own farm consumption was given the least preference. The own farm consumption was only visible in the case of rice which was not being distribution from the PDS.

Table 1.10: Migration to other States/Districts/Block

Migration to other Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas S.No States/Districts/Block 15 30 60 20 30 60 15 30 60 Days Days Days Days Days Days Days Days Days 1. Migrated to other States - - - - 8 11 - - - Migrated to other 2. Districts - - - 3 7 - - - - 3. Migrated to other Block ------

One of the observations during the field was to assess the conditions of public distribution of food grains to the people who migrates to other places. It was found that only in Bajna and Sailana blocks of Ratlam district reported migration for 20 to 60 days in a month. 15 families of Ratlam migrated to other states and other districts of Madhya

Pradesh for 30 days, 11 families migrated to other states for 60 days and three families migrated to other districts for 20 days. The migration of families concentrated toward

Gujarat in other states and intra state migration is focussed towards Dhar and Indore.

In these families only head of the household migrated to other places and the families living in the parent villages kept on taking the benefits of public distribution system.

Section – 2 Ration Cards

Table 2: Ration cards and Population in Sample FPS

Districts Total Cards Total Population PHH AAY PHH AAY Mandsaur 6000 409 24120 1244 Ratlam 2467 242 11493 1048 Dewas 2586 654 12240 3573 Total 11056 1305 47853 5865

Table 2 shows the total number of PHH cards and AAY cards in Mandsaur,

Ratlam and Dewas districts. The total population covered in respect of these cards under three districts is also given. Mandsaur has highest PHH cards at 6000 and lowest

AAY cards were found in Ratlam. Among three districts lowest PHH cards were found in

Ratlam and highest AAY cards were found in Dewas district.

Table 2.1: Which type of ration card does your household have?

S.No. Type of ration card Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas 1. PHH 64 (85.3) 68 (90.7) 65 (90.7) 2. AAY 11 (14.7) 7 (9.3) 10 (9.3) Total 75 75 75

It is clear from the table 2.1 that among the two categories of ration cards; mostly the interviewed ration card holders were having Priority House hold (PHH) cards. 90.7 percent in Ratlam and Dewas and 85.3 percent in Mandsaur were having

PHH cards. The remaining interviewed card holders were in possession of AAY cards.

Among them 14.7 percent were in Mandsaur and 9.3 percent each in Ratlam and Dewas districts.

Table 2.2: Eldest women (above 18) recognized as head of the HH

Is the eldest women (above 18) recognized as head of the S.No. Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas household in the NFSA Ration card? 1. Yes 11 (14.7) 8 (10.7) 7 (9.3) 2. No 64 (85.3) 67 (89.3) 68 (90.7) Total 75 75 75

The table 2.2 shows that the head of the household in the NFSA ration card is not the eldest women in the sampled villages of all these three districts. Only 14.7 percent in

Mandsaur, 10.7 percent in Ratlam and 9.3 percent in Dewas households women’s were recognized as the head of the HH in their ration cards.

Table 2.3: Respondents awareness

Are you aware about the eligibility/ identification criteria for availing benefits of Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas National Food Security Act ? 1. Yes 14 (18.7) 13 (17.3) 5 (6.7) 2. No 61 (81.3) 62 (82.7) 70 (93.3) Total 75 75 75 Are you aware of the process of applying for new or duplicate ration card/ member Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas addition & deletion etc.? 1. Yes 7 (9.3) 2 (2.7) 17 (22.7) 2. No 68 (90.7) 73 (97.3) 58 (77.3) Total 75 75 75

The table 2.3 shows the respondents awareness regarding the eligibility/identification criteria for availing the benefits of NFSA in the first part of the table. It is clear that 80 percent and above respondents in all three districts were not aware about the identification criteria for availing benefits of NFSA. In Dewas district on

6.7 per cent of respondents were aware regarding the identification criteria.

Similarly the respondents were asked about their awareness of the process of applying for new or duplicate ration card and the process towards the addition and deletion of members from the ration cards. The situation was no different from the previous condition. Here also 97.3 and 90.7 per cent respondents in Mandsaur and

Ratlam districts had no awareness at all. Only 22.7 percent respondents in Dewas were

9 aware regarding the process of applying for new/duplicate rations cards and regarding addition/deletion of members name from the cards.

Table 2.4: Awareness of respondents

Are you aware of the following Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas facility to avail for new or S.No duplicate ration card/ member Yes No Yes No Yes No addition & deletion etc CSC/ Village Level 1. 17 58 19 55 26 49 Entrepreneurs 2. Block level centers 5 70 3 73 0 75 3. Online facility 1 74 0 75 1 74 4. Not aware 52 23 53 24 48 27

It is clear from the table 2.4 that awareness level of respondents regarding various facilities for availing new/duplicate ration cards and addition/deletion of members was not found very significant. Regarding the online facility none of the respondent; barring a few in Mandsaur and Dewas, reported awareness. The situation of Block level centers was similar to that of online facility. The awareness regarding the

CSC/Village level entrepreneurs was found somewhat significant in terms of respondents awareness. 26 respondents in Dewas and 19 and 17 in Ratlam and

Mandsaur were aware about CSC/Village level entrepreneurs. It was found that respondents were taking help of these correspondents in solving problems of ration cards.

Exclusion of Eligible Respondents

The field study conducted in Mandsaur, Ratlam and Dewas analyzed the responses of PDS beneficiaries. In Mandsaur and Ratlam districts none of the respondents reported that eligible beneficiaries have been left out from this system. The

10 interviewed beneficiaries were asked about having any information regarding their neighbours, family friends, fellow villagers and others who fulfil all the criterion of availing PDS benefits but have been left out from PDS. They firmly responded that none of their known persons eligible for having ration cards are out of this safety net.

In Dewas District, three of the respondents were reported having information of eligible households that are not covered under NFSA.

These respondents are from village Ralamandal.

1. Shri Banesingh Madhav Singh, Age 70, Wife - Sugan Kunwar Age 68

2. Shri Ramdhar Singh, Age 72, Wife - Tara Bai

3. Shri Laxman Moolchand, Wife - Geeta Bai

Table 2.5: Issues related with Ration Cards

Have you applied for new ration card / addition & deletion of member/ duplicate Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas card in last one year 1. Yes 8 (10.7) 2 (2.7) 18 (24) 2. No 67 (89.3) 73 (97.3) 57 (76) Total 75 75 75 If Yes, distance traveled for availing the Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas service 1. Less than 5 kms 3 (37.5) 2 (2.7) 18 (100) 2. 6- 10 kms 2 (25) - - 3. 10- 20 kms 3 (37.5) - - Total 8 2 18 What was the average cost incurred by Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas beneficiary to avail these services? 1. Zero Rs. 1 (12.5) - 10 (55.6) 2. 1 - 50 Rs. 2 (25) 1 (12.5) 4 (22.2) 3. 51 - 100 Rs. 4 (50) 1 (12.5) 4 (22.2) 4. 101 - 200 Rs. 1 (12.5) - - Total 8 2 18 What was the average time taken for processing the application for these Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas services? 1. 1 - 60 Days - 1 (50) 4 (22.2) 2. 61 - 120 Days 6 (75) 1 (50) 7 (38.9) 3. 121 - 210 Days 1 (12.5) - 6 (33.3) 4. More Then 365 Days 1 (12.5) - 1 (5.6) Total 8 2 18 Were your satisfied with these services? Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas 1. Satisfied - - 1 (5.6) 2. Dissatisfied 7 (87.5) 2 (100) 15 (83.3) 3. Very dissatisfied 1 (12.5) - 2 (11.1) Total 8 2 18

Table 2.5 shows various issues related with ration cards. It enquires with respondents regarding application of new cards, duplicate cards or addition/deletion of members name from the cards. It also finds the distance travelled to avail these

12 services, cost incurred, average time taken for its processing along level of satisfaction among the respondents.

It is clear from the table that 28 respondents from sample districts applied for the new cards, duplicate cards or addition/deletion of members name from the cards.

Out of these 23 travelled less than 5 kms from their villages, two in Mandsaur travelled six to ten kms and again three respondents travelled more than 10 kms to apply for these services. Normally in most of the cases there are no fees involved in availing these services but the cost of transportation was considered in cases where respondents travelled more than 5 kms from their villages. These costs were under Rs. 100 which also included food charges as they spent longer hours in going and coming back. The charges also include expenditure of photocopy and affidavit in case of mistakes in aadhar card.

The average time taken to process all these activities ranged from two months to seven months. In couple of cases in Mandsaur and Dewas the time stretched to more than an year for the processing. The issue of longer time to process these works did not go well with the respondents. They were all dissatisfied with delayed actions to process their request.

Fair Price Shops

Some of the observations regarding the fair price shops are summarized in the following table 2.6.

Table 2.6 Information regarding FPS

Is there space/ notice board available in Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas S.No the Fair Price Shop for prominent display of required information? Yes No Yes No Yes No 1. Samples of PDS foodgrains for distribution 5 0 3 2 3 2 2. Opening and closing times of FPS 5 0 5 0 5 0 3. Monthly entitlement of PHH & AAY category 4 1 5 0 5 0 4. Retail issue price per kg for PHH & AAY category 5 0 4 1 4 1 5. Total number of PHH & AAY households/ beneficiaries 3 2 4 1 3 2 6. List of names of PHH and AAY beneficiaries 1 4 1 4 0 5 Quantity of commodities received, distributed & in 7. stock, 4 1 2 3 5 0 8 Toll free helpline number 1967/ 1800/181 series 5 0 5 0 4 1 Name and contact details of vigilance committee 9. members 5 0 5 0 5 0 Contact details of Authority for lodging complaints/ 10. redressal of grievances 0 5 0 5 0 5 Are the following maintained Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas S.No In the shop Yes No Yes No Yes No 1. Stock register 5 0 3 2 5 0 2. Category of commodity-wise records 5 0 5 0 5 0 3. Register of beneficiaries 5 0 5 0 5 0 4. Register of sales 5 0 5 0 5 0

- The roads reaching to all sampled FPS are metal constructed except in one shop

of Ratlam District (Village - Saansar, Block - Sailana).

- All the shops were found to cleaned and maintained.

- Foodgrains in all the FPS reaches as per calendar.

- All the transactions of FPS along with foodgrains allocation and names of

vigilance committee members are online.

- In none of the shops in all districts no amount is charged for downloading food

grains.

- All the FPS dealers deduct their commission before making the draft.

- In all the FPS of both rural and urban PoS machines were found working

efficiently.

- None of the families from these three districts were found not taking food grains

for the past three months.

- Sample of PDS foodgrain for distribution was found in all the sample shops of

Mandsaur district.

- Opening and closing time of FPS and monthly entitlement of PHH and AAY

category was found in the notice boards in almost all the shops.

- Retail issue price per kg for PHH and AAY category was mostly displayed in all

the visited shops of three districts.

- The total number of PHH and AAY households were available in 10 shops of

three districts but list of names of PHH and AAY beneficiaries were almost not

written in all 15 shops. Only one shop each in Mandsaur and Ratlam had these

information displayed.

- Quantity of commodities received, distributed & in stock were displayed in all

sample shops of Dewas, four in Mandsaur and only two in Ratlam.

- Toll free helpline number were mostly displayed in all the shops of Mandsaur

and Ratlam and in four shops of Dewas.

- Name and contact details of vigilance committee members were found available

in all 15 shops of three districts but Contact details of Authority for lodging

complaints/ redressal of grievances were not available in any sample shops of all

three districts.

- The stock registers were maintained in all shops of Mandsaur and Dewas district.

In Ratlam two shops were not maintaining these registers.

- Category of commodity-wise records and register of beneficiaries were

maintained in all the sample shops of three districts.

Commission in FPS

The commission in Urban area – 70 paise per Kg. The commission for FPS salesman in Rural area is Rs. 8400 per FPS (Rs. 200 for one kerosene drum) (All three districts). In certain villages where numbers of ration cards have decreased, the commission has come down to Rs. 6000. The amount of monthly salary of FPS salesman is decided by PACCS. As per the seniority they decide the amount for FPS dealer. Here the important aspect observed during the field was inadequate staff at FPS. As a result the FPS dealer shares his salary with a contractual person during weeks in which higher lifting is done by the beneficiaries. Normally such days are 10-15 in a month. In this period the work of salesman increases because the dealer alone is not in a position to do all the works like bringing foodgrains to the weighing machine, then weighing along with managing cash counter and other responsibilities. To ease up doing all this responsibilities the dealer keeps some contractual worker (All three districts).

SECTION-3: PDS UTILITY

Table 3.1: Commodities and their prices entitled from PDS

Price Total quantity in a month S.N Commodities (Rs/Kg ) Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas 1. Rice 1 Rs./Kg. 321 Kg 341 Kg 399 kg 2. Wheat 1 Rs./Kg. 1360 Kg 1385 Kg 1718 kg 3. Salt 1 Rs./Kg. 75 Kg 75 Kg 75 kg 4. Kerosene 27.50/Liters 165 Liters 196 Liters 134 Liters

Table 3.1 shows the distribution of PDS commodities along with the prices charged at FPS. The consumption of wheat in all the three districts was found higher in comparison to other commodities. The distribution of salt is normally given one packet per family. One of the other significant finding came out from the data that all the beneficiaries received full quota of their ration commodities in the past six months.

Table 3.2: Voluntarily not buying ration from PDS

Even when there was availability, supply & access, how many times did S.No. Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas you voluntarily not buy food grains from the PDS in the past three months? 1. Once 0 0 5 2. None 75 75 70 Total 75 75 75

It was also seen in the field survey that even when there was availability, supply

& access, none of the beneficiaries in Mandsaur and Ratlam districts avoided lifting of food grains from PDS shop. In case of Dewas, the team encountered five families which did not lift the ration. These families donated their share of ration items to a poor family of their village who was involved in a marriage of their family member.

It is clear from table 3.2 figures that taking ration commodities from FPS shop is a significant aspect of families covered under the safety net of NFSA. Apart from this none of the beneficiaries interviewed reported underweight ration delivery or giving extra amount for their quota. It was clear that the system of PDS which was once criticized for such anomalies; did not exist anymore.

Quality and grain preference

Table 3.3 Food grains at Fair Price Shop

Is a sample of food grains to be distributed Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas displayed at the ration shop? 1. Yes 75 (100) 72 (96) 53 (70.7) 2. No 0 3 (4) 15 (20) 3. Not aware - - 7(9.3) Total 75 75 75 Have you found lot of foreign particles in the Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas food grains 1. Yes 0 0 0 2. No 75 (100) 75 (100) 75 (100) Total 75 75 75 Are you satisfied with the share/ proportion Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas of wheat/ rice given to you through PDS? 1. Yes 12 (16) 17 (22.7) 35 (46.7) 2. No 63 (84) 58 (77.3) 40 (53.3) Total 75 75 75

Table 3.3 shows the response of beneficiaries regarding quality and grain preference of ration commodities sold at FPS. As per the respondents, the sample of food grain was found displayed in all FPS of Mandsaur and in most of the shops of

Ratlam. The per cent of FPS displaying ration commodities in Dewas was significantly less at 70.7 percent against Mandsaur and Ratlam. During the field survey it was also

18 asked from the ration card holders that whether they receive the same quality of ration in their quota as displayed in the samples. All of the respondents reported affirmative to this query. The existence of foreign particles in the ration items was not found in the quota given to the beneficiaries of all the three districts covered. Since there were no evidences found regarding the poor quality of food grain distribution nor under weighing of ration quota by the FPS dealer, none of the beneficiaries went to higher authorities to register the complain.

The level of satisfaction among the respondents was significant in all the three visited districts. 46.7 percent in Dewas, 22.7 percent in Ratlam and 16 percent in

Mandsaur were unsatisfied. Their unsatisfaction was concentrated towards not getting wheat in ration items. They demanded that in place of rice they require wheat in the ration commodity. It was observed during the field survey that most of the people were habitual of eating chapaties instead of rice as their primary meal.

Service Delivery

The distance of FPS from the house of beneficiaries has greater significance in terms of smooth accessibility. It was observed during the field work that most of the visited shops were located at less than one kilometre distance from the beneficiary’s house. In Ratlam and Dewas district, ten benficiaries reported that they had to walk more than three kilometres to get the ration from the shop. 84 percent respondents in

Dewas and 82.7 percent in Mandsaur reported to access the PDS shop within one kilometre of distance. In Ratlam this percent was 69.3. The distance of FPS from the village in the range of 1.1-2 kms was reported by 18.7 and 17.3 percent of beneficiaries of Ratlam and Mandsaur respectively. In this category only 8 percent respondents of

Dewas confirmed their facts. The details are given in table 3.4.

Table 3.4: Information to beneficiaries regarding arrival of foodgrains at FPS

How far is your Fair Price Shop located from your Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas house? 1. 0 - 1 Km 62 (82.7) 52 (69.3) 63 (84) 2. 1.1 - 2 Kms 13 (17.3) 14 (18.7) 6 (8) 3. 2.1 – 3 Kms - 1 (1.3) 4 (5.3) 4. More than 3 Kms - 8 (10.7) 2 (2.7) Total 75 75 75 How do you get information about the Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas distribution of food grains at your local ration shop Yes No Yes No Yes No 1. By personally visiting the ration shop 61 14 68 7 62 13 2. Through the ration shop dealer 14 61 5 70 15 60 3. Friends and neighbor inform us 73 2 70 5 71 04 4. SMS alert from the state government 0 75 0 75 0 75

The information to beneficiaries regarding arrival of foodgrains at FPS was mainly given by friends and neighbours as shown in the table 3.4. Second most convenient to get the information was by going themselves. Since the ration shops were nearly located they could get the information easily. Ration shop dealers were also found active in these districts. They personally went to houses of card holders who were living at a distance from the shop. 14 and 15 respondents of Mandsaur and Dewas underlined the role played by the ration shop dealer although this number was significantly less in Ratlam district. Facility of SMS alert was unavailable in all the three districts.

Table 3.5: Opened ration shops days in a month and Satisfaction Level

How many days is the ration shop S.No. Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas usually open in a month? 1. 21 Days 60 (80) 30 (40) 30 (40) 2. 12 Days 15 (20) 45 (60) 30 (40) 3. 8 Days - - 15 (20) Total 75 75 75 Do you feel that the number of S.No. working days of the ration shop is Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas adequate and satisfactory 1. Yes 68 (90.7) 57 (76) 59(78.7) 2. No 7 (9.3) 18 (24) 16 (21.3) Total 75 75 75

In all the FPS of sampled districts the days of opening FPS are fixed. 80 percent respondents of Mandsaur and 40 percent of Ratlam and Dewas each reported that the shop remains open for 21 days. Apart from this, 20, 60 and 40 percent of respondents also reported that shop remains open for 12 days in their areas. 20 percent respondents of Dewas also reported that shop in their vicinity remains open for 8 days only.

The ration card holders were satisfied with the opening days of ration shops in the sampled districts. 90.7 percent respondents in Mandsaur, 78.7 percent in Dewas and 76 percent in Ratlam reported satisfaction in terms of opening days of FPS. The respondents who were not satisfied were of the view that the number of working days of the ration shop should be increased to the whole month.

Table 3.5: Hours of the opened ration shops in a day and the satisfaction level

How often do you find the ration shop S.No. in your locality open for distribution Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas of the food grain in a day? 1. Full Day 75 (100) 75 (100) 75 (100) 2. Half Day - - - 3. 3-5 Hours - - - Total 75 75 75 How satisfied are you with the timings of S.No. Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas distribution of food grains at PDS? 1. Dissatisfied 14 (18.7) 9 (12) 30 (40) 2. Satisfied 40 (53.3) 51 (68) 35 (46.7) 3. Very satisfied 21 (28) 15 (20) 10 (13.3) Total 75 75 75

It is seen from the table that in all the districts the FPS was opened for full day.

The team did not come across any FPS which was getting closed before its scheduled time (10 am to 5 pm). The satisfaction level in Mandsaur and Ratlam was significantly higher at 88 and 81.3 percent respectively. In the case of Dewas the level of dissatisfaction was at 40 percent. The reason behind increased dissatisfaction among respondents was concerned with the shop opening for only eight days in a month. The

FPS owner was having three to four shops and the opening days of the shop was not more than two days in a week. The number of ration card holders was around 1000. As a result they were not getting ration during the working of ration shop. On an average the FPS owner could not distribute the ration to more than 100 card holders. During the shop days the FPS owner also comes across with problems related with malfunctioning of PoS machines, issues with the labour along with managing heavy crowd. All these factors resulted in the increased level of dissatisfaction among the ration card holders.

This particular case was observed in the shop situated at village Vijwad, block Kannod,

District – Dewas (FPS Registered Number - 2005019).

Table 3.6: Respondents availing following facilities

Do you avail any of the following S.No. Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas facility (tick applicable option) Door-step delivery at home Facility 1. - - - to nominate others 2. NA 75 (100) 75 (100) 75 (100) Total 75 75 75

It is seen from the table 3.6 that cases door step delivery at home facility to nominate other is not available in the system of PDS. In Ralamandal area of Dewas district, the FPS owner reported that some of the card holders due to poor health and disability are not able to come to the shop. In such cases the shop owner goes to their house for getting their finger prints in PoS machines. Later these card holders send their family members to lift their quota of ration commodities from the concerned shop.

Grievance Redressal Mechanism

Grievance redressal mechanism plays a crucial role in most of the public programmes run by the government. The mechanism in Madhya Pardesh provides facility of phone calls by the public to the concerned official to register their complain regarding anomalies in the ration distribution system. These phone numbers are mainly

- 1967/1800/ 181 series/ other help lines used for PDS. In the field it was found that these numbers have been displayed in most of the ration shops. The consumers are also aware about these numbers. But there is no utilisation of these numbers by the consumers. One of the main reasons behind no use of these numbers is not having enough complaints by the card holders against the system of PDS in practice. Another reason for its lesser use is the availability of CM Help Line. This help line is very popular in Madhya Pradesh. Any person living in Madhya Pradesh can register their complaints

23 related with government works. There were few instances in the sampled districts when CM help line was used by the ration card holders to convey the ground realities of

PDS system.

Table 3.7: Respondents View on Grievance Redressal System

Do the respondent recall the toll free S.No. helpline for TPDS (1967/1800/ 181 Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas series/ other helplines used for PDS) 1. Yes 0 0 1 (1.3) 2. No 75 (100) 75 (100) 74 (98.7) Total 75 75 75 If yes, how did you come to know about S.No Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas this? 1. Display at FPS/ GP office NA NA 1 (100) 2. Dealer/ Pradhan/Sarpanch NA NA - 3. Civil society groups NA NA - 4. Vigilance Committee NA NA - 5. Other beneficiaries/ neighbors NA NA - Total - - 1 Are you aware about the role of the S.No Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas following bodies? 1. District Grievance Redressal Officer 0 0 0 2. State Food Commission 0 0 0 3. None 75 (100) 75 (100) 75 (100) Total 75 75 75

It is clear from the table 3.7 none of the respondents ever use the toll free number given at the FPS for resolving any issues concerned with the distribution of

PDS. The information regarding the toll free number to the card holders comes only from its display at FPS. The interaction with card holders from all three districts reveals that they never come across any situation regarding FPS and distribution of ration commodities to register complain in the toll free number.

The information regarding the post and responsibilities of DGRO and state food commission members was completely found nil among the ration card holders. Their unawareness shows the complete disconnect among the PDS beneficiaries towards these officials. It was seen in the field study of these three districts that none of the interviewed PDS beneficiary have ever registered any complain regarding all possible issues of ration distribution.

Digitisation of beneficiary details & FPS automation

The government of Madhya Pradesh has taken the work of digitisation of PDS system in full swing. It was found during the field work that Aadhar number of 70.7 percent of respondents in Ratlam, 61.3 percent in Dewas and 42.7 percent in Mandsaur districts have been seeded with Bank accounts. The percent of respondents having aadhar number seeded with mobile number are 53.3 Mandsaur, 38.7 in Dewas and 29.3 in Ratlam.

The maximum number of successful aadhar based bio metric transactions were performed in Dewas (402), followed by Ratlam (338) and lastly Mandsaur at 291.

Table 3.8: Aadhar Statistics of Respondents

Is Aadhaar number of any household S.No. member is seeded with following Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas instruments? 1. Bank Account 32 (42.7) 53 (70.7) 46 (61.3) 2. Mobile number 43 (53.3) 22 (29.3) 29 (38.7) Total 75 75 75 How many members in your family have Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas performed successful Aadhaar based bio-metric authentication/ e-KYC at FPS at least once? 291 338 402

As seen from the table 3.8 that all the ration card holders in three districts had their bank account and mobile number seeded with aadhar cards. Their ration cards were also seeded with their bank accounts and mobile numbers. It is also clear from the table that all the family members of interviewed respondents have performed successful aadhar based biometric transaction at FPS.

In Mandsaur nine ration card holders raised the issue of no action being taken by the competent authorities regarding wrong information in their aadhar cards. These members told that their aadhar numbers were seeded with some wrong information due to unknown reasons. They have raised their complain to higher officials also many times but to no avail. Their aadhar number could not be corrected even in some cases more than six months have passed. The major fall out of this anomaly is their inability to lift the ration as their biometrics does not match with the incorrect aadhar number seeded in the system.

Use of E-pos machines

E-pos machine has attained a crucial significance in the distribution of ration commodities as the state of Madhya Pradesh is relentlessly working on the installation of these machines in all the FPS of the state.

The table 3.9 gives a snap shot of the use of e-pos machines by the respondents at FPS. It is clear from the table that all respondents were not only aware about the e- pos machines but were also using it frequently during the purchase of ration items. The working of e-pos machines at the time of buying ration commodities from FPS was endorsed by 86.7 percent of respondents from Mandsaur. In Ratlam and Dewas this percent was 80 and 73.3. The main reason as explained by the card holders for

26 machines not working was poor network connectivity. It was endorsed by 26.7 percent respondents of Dewas, 20 percent of Ratlam and 13.3 of Mandsaur district.

Table 3.9: Use of E-Pos machines at FPS

Do you use e-PoS machine for getting S.No. Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas foodgrains under PDS? 1. Yes 75 (100) 75 (100) 75 (100) 2. No 0 0 0 Total 75 75 75 Does the PoS machine work every S.No. Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas time you visit the FPS? 1. Yes 65 (86.7) 60 (80) 55 (73.3) 2. No 10 (13.3) 15 (20) 20 (26.7) Total 75 75 75 Do you get a printed receipt from e- S.No. Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas PoS machine in local language? 1. Yes 46 (61.3) 63(84) 47(62.7) 2. No 29(38.7) 12 (16) 28 (37.3) Total 75 75 75

The e-pos machines were giving printed receipts to 84 percent ration card holders of Ratlam, 62.7 percent of Dewas and 61.3 percent of Mandsaur at the time of purchase of ration items. The remaining card holders stated that they did not get the printed receipts at the time of purchase. The main reason behind this anomaly was unavailability of printed roles at the FPS. The FPS owner on cross checking on this issue explained that the cost of printed roles is not covered under the commission given by the society. They have to manage its purchase on their own. As a result many times FPS owner avoids giving printed receipts.

The average time taken to complete one transaction is under two minutes. In some other states benefits of portability is available where the card holder can access any FPS and get the ration entitled for his/her family. This facility is yet not operational in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Out of 15 FPS owners eight believe that process has been simplified after its implementation whereas remaining seven FPS owner reported increased burden due to issues of poor connectivity and mismatch of thumbnail impressions. These factors pose a major threat towards delaying of ration commodities distribution. In the FPS of rural and urban areas cent-percent distribution of foodgrains is done through e-pos machines.

Table 3.10 Alternatives adopted by FPS to distribute Food grains

In case of failure of PoS machine, S.No. alternative adopted by the FPS owner to Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas distribute food grains 1. Food grains not given 75 (100) 75 (100) 75 (100) Grains are given, with handwritten 2. - - - receipt (Samagra) 3. Grains are given without receipt - - - 4. NA - - - Total 75 75 75 In case foodgrains are not given, how S.No. many times in a month you normally Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas need to go to FPS shop to get foodgrains 1. 2 Times 34 (45.3) 29 (38.7) 22 (29.3) 2. 3 Times 29 (38.7) 39 (52) 45 (60) 3. 4 Times 12 (16) 7 (9.3) 8 (10.7) Total 75 75 75

The table 3.10 shows that in case of e-pos failure, the FPS owner does not distribute food grains. In all three sample districts all the card holders specifically pointed the issue of foodgrains not being distributed at the time of e-pos machine failure. The table also shows that in case of food grains not given, most of the respondents visit 2-3 times to ensure that they get the ration as and when the internet connectivity issues resolves.

The e-pos machine during FPS working days sends the information regarding transactions done in the whole day to the main server located at Bhopal. The transfer of information regarding the transaction done in such manner is referred as ‘offline’. The distribution of ration commodities is done normally through this mode during the dates

1-20 of every month. In the ‘offline’ mode the information is transmitted to the main server as and when the internet connectivity resumes in the area. Sometimes it is done on the same day or during the next day depending on the strong internet connectivity.

The government of Madhya Pradesh is continuously making all efforts to convert this ‘offline’ uploading of data to ‘online’ uploading. In the ‘online’ uploading transactions the information of ration purchase at any FPS is immediately uploaded on the main portal of server. This whole process is termed as ‘aadhar authentication’. As a result of this working the FPS owner cannot distribute the ration items in times of poor connectivity. This process has ensured the correct information being uploaded in the real time regarding the transactions done any time at FPS.

Earlier, ration was given through samagra id (Please refer notes). The member of the family having samgarg id was getting ration of his family quota during the normal distribution days of ration items. In this process FPS owner who was having the details of all samagra id of their area was in a position to utilize that id unethically. This process has been curbed now by aadhar authentication process.

Aadhar and Samagra Transactions

Table 3.11 Snapshot of Total Transactions in PDS

2018 Total Aadhar Authenticated Non – Aadhar Transactions authenticated (other models Eg. authentic- Authen- fingerprint+ IRIS + samagra) cated ticated OTP + Cashless (Cashless) April 90,16,494 16,47,433 (18.27) 73,69,061 (81.73) May 88,96,240 16,70,600 (18.78) 72,25,640 (81.22) June 89,81,098 16,79,601 (18.7) 73,01,497 (81.3) July 85,72,759 25,71,264 (29.99) 60,01,495 (70.01) August 96,21,360 35,60,447 (37.01) 60,60,913 (62.99) September 91,10,229 43,11,743 (47.33) 47,98,486 (52.67) October 91,59,411 47,45,142 (51.81) 44,14,269 (48.19) November 92,82,480 45,78,796 (52.56) 44,03,884 (47.44) All India 9,95,27,537 7,78,29,356 (78.2) 1,41,60,728 75,37,453 57,855 November (14.23) (7.57) (0.06)

The table 3.11 shows the snapshot of total transactions done using aadhar authentication and with other models including Samagra. It is clear from the table that

Since April onwards, the percent of aadhar authenticated fingerprint transaction is continuously increasing starting from 18.27 percent and reaching up to 52.56 percent in

November. This increase in aadhar authenticated finger print transaction has forced to curb the frequency of ‘Samagra’ transactions. In the column of ‘Samagra’ transactions, it is clearly visible that the percentage of transactions is significantly decreasing. In April it was 82.73 percent which has come down to 47.44 percent. The all India average in

Aadhar authenticated transactions is 78.2 percent and ‘Samagra’ is at 14.23 percent.

The government of Madhya Pradesh is making all efforts to touch these national targets in the coming months.

Functioning of Vigilance Committee

The main responsibility of Vigilance Committee (VC) is to overall monitor the smooth functioning of PDS and redressal of problems related with it. The members of

VC include ration card holders, consumer activists and Member of Parliament. The

Government has issued instructions to States/UTs to constitute VCs at FPS/Panchayat,

Block, District and the State/UT level drawing members from the Government, social organisations, consumer organization and local bodies to periodically review the functioning of the schemes/FPS under PDS.

Table 3.12: Awareness regarding Vigilance Committee

Are you aware about the FPS level S.No. Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas vigilance committee formed in your FPS? 1. Yes 14 (18.7) 9 (12) 15 (20) 2. No 61 (81.3) 66 (88) 60 (80) Total 75 75 75

The table 3.12 shows that in all the sampled districts VC were formed but the level of awareness regarding its existence among the ration card holders highly insignificant. In Ratlam district only 12 percent of respondents were aware about the

VC. In Mandsaur and Dewas the slightly better at 18.7 and 20 percent of respondents being aware regarding the VC. The role and functioning of VC was only known to those respondents who were aware about the existence of VC. Similarly these aware respondents also knew the persons of VC by their names and were in touch with them.

But in all the sampled districts, none of the respondents have ever approached to the members of VC regarding any grievance or problems related with PDS.

Cash Transfers and Digital Payments in PDS

The ration card holders were receiving ration commodities against their family entitlement from the FPS at regular interval of time. They were asked if these ration commodities were to be exchanged by cash transfer in their bank accounts, they were firmly reluctant to this proposal.

Table 3.13: Willingness to accept cash transfer among the respondents

Would by you prefer to receive cash subsidy in your bank account instead of food grains? S.No. Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas Rs. 26.66 in lieu of 1 kg of Rice Rs. 19.69in lieu of 1 Kg of wheat. 1. Yes 0 0 0 2. No 75 (100) 75 (100) 75 (100) 3. Cant’ Say 0 0 0 Total 75 75 75

S.No If no, what are the reasons? Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas

Yes 1 3 0 1. Do not have bank a/c No 74 75 75 Bank a/c is not operational/ taking Yes 9 0 0 2. money from bank is time consuming and difficult No 66 75 75 Foodgrains from market would be of Yes 68 74 75 3. higher price No 7 1 0 Yes 63 71 75 4. Risk of misuse of cash for non-food items No 12 4 0

The table 3.13 clearly depicts the preference of ration card holders for the denial of cash transfers against getting ration commodities from the FPS. The main reason reflected by these respondents was mainly the higher prices of food grains in the market which makes it costly to buy in comparison to the subsidized prices at FPS.

Secondly, they fear the misuse of cash received in their banks for buying non-essential items. On further query with the respondents it was found that mostly female members of the household were bearing the responsibility of getting ration from the FPS. It was told by these card holders that since the transaction in the banks is mostly done by the male members of the family, they will squander the money in the consumption of alcohol and other things. It was the main reason among the ration card holders preferring for the ration items against cash transaction.

Table 3.14: Facility at FPS and Respondents Perception

Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas S.No Does your FPS has following facility? Yes No Yes No Yes No 1. Digital Payment 0 75 0 75 0 75 2. Banking Correspondent 0 75 0 75 0 75 3. CSC operations 0 75 0 75 0 75 4. Sale of Non-PDS commodities 0 75 0 75 0 75

Which of the services do you avail/ wish Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas S.No to avail through FPS? Yes No Yes No Yes No 1. Digital Payment 13 62 7 68 0 75 2. Banking Correspondent 9 66 4 71 7 68 3. CSC operations 36 39 14 61 45 30 4. Sale of Non-PDS commodities 75 0 39 36 66 9

Table 3.14 shows that the facility of digital payment, banking correspondent, CSC operations and sale of Non-PDS commodities. The roles of banking correspondent,

Common Service Centre (CSC) Agent, Seller of non-PDS item (procured by FPS dealer/dealers association etc.), Seller of Non-PDS items (through PPP model) and others income generation activity through FPS are not being done by any of the FPS.

The government of M.P. will be taking steps to start this initiative in the remaining districts also. A proposal from the State Government has gone to

Cooperatives who are interested to convert FPS into multi-task agency where they can perform a host of activities favouring farmers and localites. Secondly they also want to use FPS platform for Ujjwala scheme. They are proposing to keep 5 kg of LPG cylinder in the shop which can be easily lifted by the beneficiaries. A dealer commission of Rs.

45/cylinder has been fixed by the Government.

The respondents were further quarried if they wish to avail these services. Most of the respondents reflected their opinion that they will prefer sale of non-PDS item

33 from the shop. All the respondents accepted to the fact that PDS is playing a very significant and crucial role in ensuring food security of their family.

Overall satisfaction level

• All the interviewed 100 percent respondents believe that NFSA is very beneficial

for the Households (Mandsaur).

• 80- 100 percent respondents believe that NFSA is very beneficial for the

Households (Ratlam).

• All the interviewed believe that NFSA is very beneficial for the Households

(Dewas).

Vigilance Committee – FPS

Vigilance committees have been formed in all the sample districts. Members of all social categories are part of these committees. No training has been done for their members. No member has been receiving any sms facility. Although the meetings are being conducted at regular intervals; the awareness level of the members is very poor

(In all districts).

In Mandsaur and Dewas districts, meetings of vigilance committee has been conducted three times and one time respectively. In Ratlam district the committee has yet to meet for the first time. The meetings are being conducted regularly but only officials take part. No other member comes in the meeting.

District Level Godown

The management of district level godown is done by M.P. Warehousing and logistics corporation. The foodgrains in the godown comes in time. They have adequate stock to distribute foodgrains (with current entitlements) for two months in all the sample godowns of three districts. There were no security arrangement like camera and fire extinguishers in the godowns of Ratlam and Dewas. Only in Mandsaur district, the arrangements of camera and fire extinguishers were found in place.

Table 3.15: Issues related with Godowns

S.No. Issues related with Godowns Mandsaur Ratlam Dewas 1. Is the supply chain application deployed in the Yes Yes Yes Godown? 2. Did the Godown staff attend any training on supply No Yes Yes chain application? 3. Were they provided with any user manual? Yes Yes Yes 4. Whether stock position &movement of foodgrains is Yes* Yes* Yes* captured online? Are they automated? 5. Stock position of godowns- Opening balance, Receipt, Yes* Yes* Yes* dispatch and closing balance. 6. Movement of foodgrains- Delivery Orders, Release Yes* Yes* Yes* Orders, Truck Challans, Gate Passes, 7. Payment flow from FPS/ payment acknowledgement Yes* Yes* Yes* 8. SMS alert service about arrival of foodgrains at FPS Yes Yes No 9. Is optimal route mapping done for all the FPSs? Yes Yes Yes 10. Is the foodgrains weighed at godown with electronic No No No weigh bridge linked to online system? 11. Is the foodgrains delivered to FPSs weighed using FPS No No No level electronic weighing machine linked to ePoS? 12. Has there been any instances of diversion/black No No No marketing of foodgrains from the Godown in last one year? 13. Whether Stock position of godowns- Opening No No No these balance, Receipt, dispatch and closing reports balance. are in Movement of foodgrains- Delivery Orders, No No No public Release Orders, Truck Challans, Gate domain? Passes, Report on SMS alert service about arrival of Yes Yes No foodgrains at FPS * Information not in public domain.

Problem Areas (For All Districts)

Inadequacy of Maintenance Engineer for e-pos machines

In the whole district, only one engineer has been appointed for the maintenance of e-pos machines. The lone person is not in a position to cover the whole district which is expanded in the range of 100-150 kms on an average. In many cases it was seen that the technical snag in e-pos machines remains unresolved for 2-3 days.

The situation can be resolved by the appointment of more people at the district level having expertise in resolving technical snags of e-pos machines.

Issues of Poor connectivity with e-pos machines

The sim card in e-pos machines supports 2G network. Since the speed of 2G network is very slow, the frequency of transaction suffers every time at the FPS. To resolve this conditions most of the salesman of FPS connects e-pos machines of the FPS with the Wi-Fi network of their personal mobiles. The expenditure incurred in this connection is borne by the salesman of the FPS.

To resolve this issue, a proper network with good internet connectivity is required with the working of e-pos machines.

Issues with wrong entry in Aadhar Cards

There are many cards having wrong entries in the form of numbers, name or year of birth. These cards have been registered in the e-pos machines. This mistake is

36 very difficult to get it resolved at the local level. The card holder even tries to take this matter to higher authorities but to no avail. The fall out of this anomaly is experienced by the card holder at the time of purchase of ration. With the wrong credentials the information feeded in e-pos machines do not match with the credentials/biometrics of the card holder. As a result the person is denied to lift the ration.

A proper mechanism is required to undertake the process of resolving or reissuing aadhar cards at the local level. It will ease the burden of the beneficiaries of

PDS.

Difference of rate in the price of Kerosine

The receipt which comes out from the e-pos machine shows the rate of kerosene of the previous month which most of the time is not same at the time of purchase by the card holder. Due to this difference, sometimes when the rate is higher at the time of purchase, the ration card holder gets the receipt having reduced rate printed on it. At this time card holder pays more than what is printed which makes them furious over this difference. They take this situation otherwise and blame the FPS owner for taking higher price of kerosene instead of the printed price.

The anomaly of difference of rates in kerosene is required to be resolved by the updating the exact price during the time of purchase.

Issues related with the changing quota of kerosene

In tribal blocks, four litres of kerosene is given per ration card. But actually the allotment ranges from two litres to four litres. The actual information regarding the allotment is not passed to the consumers. As a result the card holders remains clueless about the actual allotment of two or four litres during the distribution days. In such conditions the FPS owner takes the benefit of distributing two litres even when the allotment is of four litres. These cases were specifically seen in the FPS of Sailana and

Bajna blocks of Ratlam district.

Printed receipts of FPS transaction not given

In many FPS the salesman was not giving the printed receipts after the transaction through e-pos machines. The reason for not giving the receipts was related with the expenditure of printing roles. This expenditure has to be borne by the FPS owner. As a result he avoids giving the receipts. The card holders also in most of the cases do not press the FPS owner for the receipts.

The FPS owner needs to be explained regarding the importance of giving printed receipts after each transaction. A mechanism needs to be developed for resolving the issues of expenditure incurred for the printing roles.

Shortage of Manpower at FPS

Ration card holders during the distribution days at FPS feels the shortage of manpower in the form of an assistant helping the FPS owner. The salesman at FPS has

38 to perform many activities during the distribution days. He has to operate the e-pos transaction, collection of money, supply of ration after weighing apart from managing the crowd. Some owners in order to distribute the work load keep an assistant for 8-10 days. The salary of such assistants is given from cutting the meagre profit of FPS owner.

Expenditure related with e-pos machines

The expenditure incurred in the maintenance of e-pos machine is sole responsibility of the FPS owner. Any technical issue gets resolved with the help of engineer appointed for this purpose free of cost. But in case of any change of parts in the pos machine, the related expenditure is borne by the FPS owner. This expenditure is not reimbursed by the agency/company which has provided the machine or the concerned department.

No contact with Vigilance Committee Members

The meeting of vigilance committee regarding FPS are conducted timely but most of the card holders do not know even the names of committee member nor the responsibilities associated with them.

Finger Prints of Old Age Customers

One of the significant issues concerned with old age ration card holders is not matching of their finger prints at the time of bio-metric authentication through e-pos machines. The FPS owner keeps a gel or lotion in the shop which is applied on the

39 fingers of the card holders. After few attempts their authentication gets certified through the machines. Invariably this process consumes lot of time which results in increasing crowd and mismanagement at the FPS.

Issues related with salt distribution

The packing of salt distributed at FPS has been found improper in most of the cases. Due to this, packing of salt loosens during the transportation to the FPS and before reaching the shop, 15-20 packages gets wasted. In such conditions, none of the card holder prefer to take the salt from the spoiled packets. In many cases the FPS owner converts them to fresh packets of one kg. But since the packaging is different from the original, the card holders remain uninterested to take the packets.

There has to be an arrangement in which the packing of salts remain in its original shape at the time of distribution through FPS. It will increase the sale of salt and also the satisfaction of card holders.

Unavailability of Shades and other facilities at FPS

During the distribution days at FPS, card holders have to wait sometimes for longer period of time. In most of the shops there are no facility regarding protection from sunray specially during summer and from rains during monsoon season. Apart from this card holders also reported problems regarding the unavailability of separate toilets for men and women. During the initial days of distribution when the FPS is

40 normally crowded, card holders feel the absence to toilets and also unavailability of drinking water.

Issues regarding Eligibility Slip (Patrata Parchi)

The ration card holders often complain that new eligibility slip is not given after the name of any family member is added or deleted from the ration card. In such cases the name of the new member does not appear in the ration card and they face difficulty in getting the ration. There should be arrangement for issuing the eligibility slip as early as possible to ease the problems faced the card holders.

Problem Areas

Some of the district wise problem areas are notified as following –

Mandsaur

- 4841 quintals of wheat from APL scheme (wheat distribution before 2017) is

rotating among many FPS of Mandaur which is more from the required demand.

Many letters from the district has been written in this regard to higher state

officials but till now they have not resolved this issue. As a result of this, many

FPS have to keep extra quantity of wheat every month. FPS owners have

expressed their problems in keeping and maintaining extra amount of wheat in

their shops.

- In Fair Prices shops of Dhundhadka () the rate of kerosene has not been updated

from the last six months.

- Among the total 429 fair price shops of Mandsaur, 164 are opening for only three

days and 39 shops opens for only two days in a week. The main reason for not

opening the FPS all days in a week lies in having extra responsibility by FPS

owner for running 2-3 more shops.

Ratlam

- In Ratlam districts also 383 quintal of wheat is rotating in various PDS shops.

- Out of 512 FPS shops of the district, 74 opens for three days.

- In the tribal development blocks of Bajna and Sailana, the quantity of kerosene

supply should be fixed. The card holder remains clueless regarding the quantity

of kerosene distribution. The quantity ranges between two to four liters.

Dewas

- There is no APL wheat in Dewas district.

- Most of the FPS shops in the districts are small and facing shortage of space to

accommodate all the ration items.

- 16 out of total 536 FPS shops in the district opens for only two days in a week.

- Most of the card holders are satisfied with the day timings of the FPS. But they

are not satisfied with those shops that open for only two days in a week. The

main reason for their un satisfaction results from the poor internet connectivity

which forces them to come again next week to get the ration as the shop remains

open for only two days. This particular shop was in village Bijwad, block Kannod.

Suggestions

• Rate of kerosene should be updated in the Pos machine.

• The packing of salt should be improved to minimize the losses during

transportation.

• There has to be proper training for vigilance committee members.

• Meetings should be called mandatorily at pre decided dates.

• Members should receive SMS alerts.

• All security measures should be arranged with all seriousness.

Notes

In conditions of e-pos failure, the Government of Madhya Pradesh distributed the ration through ‘Samagra’. This Samagra is a e-ration card in the form of a electronic receipt issued by GoMP under NFSA 2013. This card contains information like – identification number of beneficiary and their family members, their names, eligibility category, name of concerned FPS and its code number along with the entitlement of the total quantity of ration items of the card holder’s family. The Samagra Portal after getting the information certified by the local government agency prints this Samagra e- card. This card remains with the beneficiary unless he/she want to include/delete the name/s of the member/s of their family. The information of this Samagra e-card is available on the portal of the ministry (www.food.mp.gov.in) and can be accessed by the general public. This Samagra e-card is being widely used in the distribution of ration commodities where e-pos machines are not working. The distribution through Samagra ID is normally done after 21st of every month.

Snapshots - Mandsaur

Snapshots - Ratlam

Snapshots - Dewas