Book

Food is the vital element for human survival and now India attain self-sufficiency in food grains. Despite this achievement, the persistence of poverty has led to widespread issues such as stunting, malnutrition and underweight conditions in the country. To overcome these challenges, government has implemented various programs to address food insecurity. Out of those programs, public distribution system is the major one. The study conducted in the Sirmour district, aims to assess the performance of the PDS. The study relies on both primary and secondary data for the years 2021 and 2016 to 2020, respectively. The findings of the study reveal that a majority of beneficiaries had an education level up to the middle standard, and nuclear family systems were prevalent among them. The beneficiaries reported dissatisfaction with the quantity of ration provided through the PDS and found it insufficient to meet their family's needs. The study highlights that the beneficiaries’ daily per capita calorie intake and expenditure were 1952.72 calories and Rs. 27.34, respectively. These figures were below the required amounts, underlining the poor economic status of beneficiaries in the study area. Among the identified constraints, inadequate ration quota emerged as a major issue reported by beneficiaries regarding PDS services. To address these challenges and enhance daily per capita calorie intake, food security, nutritional well-being and overall quality of life the government should focus on creating more employment opportunities. Additionally, the allocation of essential food items to beneficiaries should be based on the size of their families. Improvements in PDS services can be achieved through periodic updates to the beneficiary list, coupled with active measures to raise awareness among the target population. The study concluded that public distribution system should fulfill its major objective of promoting social welfare. This book will be useful & interesting for researchers, policy makers, experts, students and anyone interested in food security & nutritional well-being of poor households particularly Below Poverty Line and Antyodaya Anna Yojana beneficiaries.