Context:

• Central government is going to implement Integrated Management for Public Distribution System (IM-PDS) from FY 2018-19 and 2019-20. This central sector scheme will enable people to take ration at subsidized rates from any place across the country. There will be no restriction on village, district or state to take ration under Food Protection Law.
•  All the beneficiaries can purchase wheat and rice at subsidized rates from any Public Distribution System shop. Accordingly, this scheme will bring transparency and efficiency in distribution of food grains.
• Govt. will identify fake / duplicate ration cards under IM-PDS and enable PDS beneficiaries to purchase food grains from any shop of their choice across the nation.

Objectives of Integrated Management for Public Distribution System (IM-PDS)

The key objectives of IM-PDS are as follows:-

• To integrate PDS System / Portals of States / UTs with portals of Central Govt. / System.
• Introduction of National Portability to remove restriction on purchase of food grains from the selected cities / districts.
• De-duplication of Ration Cards and beneficiaries.

Now the govt. will be able to identify fake ration cards and remove them from the list of selected beneficiaries. The primary objective is to ensure that the benefits of various govt. schemes reaches to last mile person.

IM-PDS Portability

• IM-PDS scheme describes a mechanism for the transparent and efficient distribution of food grains. All the people having fake / duplicate ration cards will not be able to purchase ration at subsidized rates. Moreover, all the PDS beneficiaries will get benefit of purchasing entitled food grains from Fair Price Shops of their own choice across the country.
• In the current scenario, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi govt. has already started portability at the State level. Moreover Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Telangana govt. has also started portability in the few FPS areas within their own territory.
• Govt. of India is not facing the problem of scarcity of food production but the main problem is management of agricultural produce.

Source:SarkariYojana