SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government has issued standing orders to include left-out eligible beneficiaries and households under the Public Distribution System (PDS), Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Satish Sharma, informed the House today.
Responding to a query by Choudhary Mohammad Akram, Sharma stated that norms for inclusion and exclusion have been clearly laid out under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), which will guide the process of updating the beneficiary list. He also announced that children born between 2011 and 2016 would be included in the PDS.
“If additional targets are allotted by the Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, children born after 2016 will also be considered for inclusion,” Sharma said.
However, the Minister clarified that the bifurcation of ration cards has been halted to maintain adherence to the assigned coverage targets, particularly under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), where each household is entitled to 35 kg of food grains. He explained that issuing new ration cards would increase the burden on the department, requiring additional food grain allocation.
To improve PDS accessibility, the government is planning to open new Fair Price Shops in Jammu and Kashmir. “Elected representatives will be involved in identifying locations for these new shops to ensure equitable distribution,” Sharma said, adding that the existing framework would be reviewed accordingly.
