Public Distribution System in India

The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting millions of people’s lives in many ways. While millions of people have lost their jobs after the outbreak, acute food insecurity is another immediate effect of the crisis affecting the poor. India is home to the largest number of undernourished persons globally, and the COVID-19 pandemic has caused acute food insecurity and food scarcity in the country. Food banks and community kitchens play a pivotal role in feeding the needy people in India. The community kitchen idea is also linked with cultural practices in India. The beneficiaries are the home-quarantined or sick persons and food-insecure people, including needy schoolchildren, senior citizens, low-income persons, unemployed persons, low-income families, and the homeless. The study's objective is to explore the role and importance of food banks and community kitchens in addressing acute food insecurity during and post-COVID-19 crisis in India. The main concern of this study is to examine how the governments, NGOs, and local community intervention could help food banks and community kitchens feed needy people. It is a descriptive and analytical study based on primary and secondary sources.

End to end testing, to put it very simply, is a sort of software testing to ascertain whether software is behaving as
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kit. As there were a number of drawbacks in the manual testing, in order to overcome these drawbacks automation testing has
been proposed

Using the methodology of overdetermination, class process of surplus labor as the entry point and socially determined need of food security, we deliver an alternative class-focused rendition of the public distribution system (PDS) in India. We first surmise our theoretical framework to infer that the overdetermined and contradictory relation of class and social needs matter for PDS. Beyond the reasoning of being pro-poor, fair, or wasteful, we deploy this framework to reinterpret the formation of Indian PDS in the 1960s. Its demonstration requires revisiting the historical condition that shaped capital’s passive revolution through the post-independence Indian state and its subsequent crisis arising out of the contradictions and conflicts in the class-need space. We argue that PDS signals a case of success and not failure of capitalism.

Supply of adequate grocery or ration has been a major problem in India for many decades. Improper measurement tools, hoarding, black marketing, etc. have been the main reason for the improper supply of food grains. The poor and tribal people should get benefits offered by the Government. But recently, the Uttar Pradesh government has admitted that through the PDS scam, food grain subsidy worth Rs. 30 crore was diverted to the open market in the last three months through 1.86 lakh fraud transactions. Because of corruption and poor monitoring of grocery supply, the people below poverty line are affected the most. Based on these issues, various papers were published by many authors which suggested solutions for this problem. Even after the solutions were brought in light, some recent scams were observed. Hence, this paper analyzes the various solutions given by different authors and tries to bring out an efficient solution for all the loopholes that exist in the present working system.

Supply of adequate grocery or ration has been a major problem in India for many decades. Improper measurement tools, hoarding, black marketing, etc. have been the main reason for the improper supply of food grains. The poor and tribal people should get benefits offered by the Government. But recently, the Uttar Pradesh government has admitted that through the PDS scam, food grain subsidy worth Rs. 30 crore was diverted to the open market in the last three months through 1.86 lakh fraud transactions. Because of corruption and poor monitoring of grocery supply, the people below poverty line are affected the most. Based on these issues, various papers were published by many authors which suggested solutions for this problem. Even after the solutions were brought in light, some recent scams were observed. Hence, this paper analyzes the various solutions given by different authors and tries to bring out an efficient solution for all the loopholes that exist in the present working system.

Supply of adequate grocery or ration has been a major problem in India for many decades. Improper measurement tools, hoarding, black marketing, etc. have been the main reason for the improper supply of food grains. The poor and tribal people should get benefits offered by the Government. But recently, the Uttar Pradesh government has admitted that through the PDS scam, food grain subsidy worth Rs. 30 crore was diverted to the open market in the last three months through 1.86 lakh fraud transactions. Because of corruption and poor monitoring of grocery supply, the people below poverty line are affected the most. Based on these issues, various papers were published by many authors which suggested solutions for this problem. Even after the solutions were brought in light, some recent scams were observed. Hence, this paper analyzes the various solutions given by different authors and tries to bring out an efficient solution for all the loopholes that exist in the present working system.

The public distribution system (PDS) has been one of the main policy instruments of the Government of India (GoI) to provide food security to the people of this country, especially the vulnerable ones. The recently enacted National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, also relies heavily on it to deliver even more grain at highly subsidized prices to 67 percent of population. But the existing PDS system has been highly "leaky", with large amounts of grains (40 to 50 percent) being pilfered and diverted to open market. Also, the existing PDS delivers better in better-off states rather than in those where there is concentration of poor, raising issues of equity. Further, the food subsidy bill is ballooning, with Rs 1.15 lakh crores budgeted for FY 2015 plus (unbudgeted) arrears of more than Rs 50,000 crores. The big challenge, therefore, is how to ensure that large sums of money being spent by GoI on PDS deliver food security more efficiently, with much lesser leakages and in a more cost effective manner. In an effort to highlight the inefficiency and iniquitous nature of the existing PDS, the present paper estimates the proportion of grain that was diverted/leaked from the PDS grain-chain in 2011-12. This is done by mapping the difference between the grains off-taken by states from the Central pool and the grain consumed by the PDS beneficiaries. It also studies how tuned is the PDS welfare delivery system to the country's poor. The paper finds that at an all-India level, 46.7 per cent or 25.9 MMTs of the off-taken grain did not reach the intended PDS beneficiaries in 2011-12. The percent share of total leakage increased with states where greater percent of India's poor resided (five states: UP, Bihar, MP, Maharashtra and West Bengal, which are home to close to 60% of India's poor accounted for close to 50% of the total grain leakage in the country in the year 2011-12). While some experts (Himanshu and Sen, 2011) pitch for near universal PDS to plug leakages, and NFSA argues for end to end computerization and setting up of vigilance committees and courts, this paper makes a case for shifting the support to poor from highly subsidized price policy to income policy of cash transfers through Jan-Dhan yojana dovetailing UID of Aadhaar scheme. We also argue that this is the best global practice, can plug leakages, reach the vulnerable segments of population, not interfere with markets of food, and save more than Rs. 30,000 crores annually to the government of India under the most likely scenario, while still giving a better deal to consumers. The saved resources can be ploughed back as investments in water (irrigation), rural roads and agri-R&D that could deliver food security, directly or indirectly (through increased incomes), to people of this country in a more sustainable manner.

Supply of adequate grocery or ration has been a major problem in India for many decades. Improper measurement tools, hoarding, black marketing, etc. have been the main reason for the improper supply of food grains. The poor and tribal people should get benefits offered by the Government. But recently, the Uttar Pradesh government has admitted that through the PDS scam, food grain subsidy worth Rs. 30 crore was diverted to the open market in the last three months through 1.86 lakh fraud transactions. Because of corruption and poor monitoring of grocery supply, the people below poverty line are affected the most. Based on these issues, various papers were published by many authors which suggested solutions for this problem. Even after the solutions were brought in light, some recent scams were observed. Hence, this paper analyzes the various solutions given by different authors and tries to bring out an efficient solution for all the loopholes that exist in the present working system.

Kerala’s fight against the coronavirus disease 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic turned out to be a public action making it an exemplar to not only the rest of the states in India but also the world as a whole. Its public action-oriented containment of the pandemic has been the outcome of multiple factors specific to the state. Despite the grave challenges confronted by the state, its experience offers new opportunities for setting a new public culture. However, the emerging opportunities and their realisation in the post-COVID-19 phase depend on an effective and visionary leadership that can translate them for the potential development of the state.

International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts (IJCRT) www.ijcrt.org a401 Financing for food security and nutrition refers to the public and private financial resources, both domestic and foreign, that are directed towards eradicating hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition. They are targeted to ensure the availability, access, utilization and stability of nutritious and safe foods, and practices that favour healthy diets, as well as health, education and social protection services that enable these, and include the financial resources that are directed towards strengthening the resilience of agrifood systems to the major drivers and underlying structural factors of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.

Technology has the potential to help governments live up to their ambitions for public policy and delivery. To increase the efficiency of the Public Distribution System (PDS), the Government of India has launched multiple Information and Communication Technology (ICT) intervention projects under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. The article looks at the effectiveness of Aadhar Seeding, Biometric Authentication Systems, Fair Price Shop (FPS) Automation, Integrated Management of Public Distribution Systems (IMPDS), Mobile Applications (Mera Ration App), and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)-in enhancing transparency, accuracy, and accountability of PDS under NFSA, 2013 in the delivery of subsidized food grains in Assam. The study relies on secondary data. The augmentation of technology has the potential to increase the effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of the NFSA implementation and address the issue of food security. The authors suggest that ensuring the feasibility of FPSs, creating dashboards for data and reports for NFSA stakeholders, conducting social audits, and developing efficient monitoring and evaluation frameworks within the NFSA can greatly improve the efficiency of the PDS in Assam.

The National Food Security Act, 2013 is being implemented in all the States/UTs, on an all-India basis. Out of maximum coverage of 81.35 crore, around 80.04 crore persons are covered under NFSA at present for receiving highly subsidized foodgrains. Coverage under the Act is under two categories – households covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority households (PHH). The monthly entitlement of foodgrains is 5 kg per person for eligible households under ‘priority’ category and 35 kg per family for AAY households. Beneficiaries under the Act are entitled for subsidized foodgrains at `3/2/1 per kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains for an initial period of three years from the date of commencement of the Act (July 5, 2013). Thereafter, prices were to be fixed by the Central Government from time to time, but not exceeding MSP. Government decided from time to time to continue the above-mentioned subsidized prices under NFSA. Central Government has now decided to provide foodgrains free of cost to the 81.35 crore NFSA beneficiaries i.e. AAY Families and PHH persons for one year from 01.01.2023 to 31.12.2023. The decision is taken to strengthen the provisions of NFSA in terms of accessibility, affordability and availability of entitled foodgrains for the poor and ensure effective and uniform implementation of National Food Security Act 2013 (ONE NATION-ONE PRICE-ONE RATION). The additional cost of making foodgrains free of cost to the NFSA beneficiaries will be borne by Government of India. Notification to this effect was published in the Gazette of India on 30.12.2022.

In today's fast-paced world, convenience and efficiency are paramount, extending to mundane tasks like refueling vehicles. Traditional gas station payment methods involving cash or credit cards can be cumbersome and time-consuming. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology offers a promising solution to expedite gas station transactions, enhancing the customer experience. An RFID-based payment system leverages tags affixed to vehicles or issued as cards. Upon pulling up to an RFID-enabled pump, the reader automatically identifies the customer's vehicle or card, retrieving linked account information. The customer simply authorizes fueling, and the designated amount is seamlessly deducted from their account. This eliminates the need to exit the vehicle, search for wallets or cards, and swipe or insert them at the pump, significantly reducing transaction times. The benefits of an RFID-based payment system are manifold. First and foremost, it offers unparalleled convenience. Customers can streamline the fueling process without fumbling for cards or cash, leading to a more pleasant and time-efficient experience.Furthermore, RFID technology translates to shorter queues and improved customersatisfaction at gas stations. Reduced transaction times at pumps lead to faster throughput, benefiting both customers and gas station operators. Security is another significant advantage of RFID-based payments. Unlike traditional methods susceptible to fraud, RFID tags are tamper-proof and difficult to replicate. This significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized transactions and fraudulent activity, enhancing financial security for both customers and gas station businesses. Additionally, RFID technology offers potential for integration with loyalty programs. The system can be designed to automatically identify customers and credit their accounts with loyalty points based on their purchases. This fosters customer engagement and incentivizes repeat business, creating a win-win situation for both gas stations and their patrons. While RFID-based payment systems hold immense promise, there are challenges to consider. Implementation costs associated with equipping gas stations with RFID readers and potentially issuing tags to customers need to be carefully evaluated. Additionally, customer adoption is a crucial factor.Encouraging widespread acceptance of this new technology may require educational campaigns to highlight the benefits and dispel any misconceptions. In conclusion, RFID-based payment systems have the potential to revolutionize gas station transactions. By offering a faster, more secure, and convenient fueling experience, this technology can significantly benefit both customers and gas station businesses. As with any new technology, careful consideration of implementation costs and customer adoption strategies is necessary. However, the potential rewards of streamlining the gas station experience make RFID-based payments a compelling solution for the future. I.

Saugaus darbo su eLABa duomenimis taisyklės MDP 18-a versija Mokomoji knyga Antrasis pataisytas ir papildytas leidimas Kaunas • 2008 uDK 004.91(474.5) Li-227 Specialusis redaktorius Gintautas Žemaitis Recenzavo: dr. Lina Šarlauskienė, doc. dr. Linas stabingis antrasis pataisytas ir patobulintas mokomosios knygos leidimas yra parengtas ir išleistas finansuojant Europos Sąjungos struktūrinių fondų remiamiam projektui "Lietuvos virtuali biblioteka bei visateksčių dokumentų duomenų bazės sukūrimas" (paramos skyrimo sutartis nr. EsF/2004/2.4.0-K02-Vs-02/suT-194). Leidinys bus naudojamas minėtam projektui įgyvendinti ir jo kartu su Europos Sąjungos struktūrinių fondų remiamo projekto "Lietuvos mokslo ir studijų e. dokumentų kaupimas ir pateikimas skaitytojams" (paramos skyrimo sutartis nr. EsF/2004/2.4.0-K02-Vs-03/suT-191) rezultatų sklaidai bei tolimesnei plėtrai vykdyti. Taip pat Lietuvos virtualaus universiteto 2007-2012 metų programos Lietuvos mokslo ir studijų integruotos informacinės erdvės plėtros uždavinio (LaBT) veiklai, susijusiai su Lietuvos akademinės e. bibliotekos (eLaBa) palaikymu ir plėtra, vykdyti. skirta eLaBa duomenis tvarkantiems asmenims ir akademinių bibliotekų bei leidyklų darbuotojams, besidomintiems e. leidyba. Visos teisės saugomos. Nė viena šio leidinio dalis negali būti kopijuojama be autorių sutikimo.

Disertacijoje nagrinėjami heterogeninių korinio ryšio tinklų talpos ir paslaugų kokybės užtikrinimo klausimai, taikant vartotojų srauto balansavimą. Pagrindiniai tyrimo objektai yra vartotojų sukuriamo balso ir duomenų srauto balansavimas tinkle. Srauto balansavimas yra svarbi sritis šių dienų telekomunikacijose, kai perduodamų duomenų srautai auga milžiniškais tempais. Įvairiapusiška ir lanksti vartotojų srauto balansavimo metodika leidžia efektyviai valdyti srautą tinkle, sumažinant tinklo apkrovą ir investicijas. Pagrindinis disertacijos tikslas-ištirti išplėstines vartotojų srautų balansavimo galimybes korinio ryšio sistemose. Darbe siekiama įvertinti srauto balansavimo įtaką tinklo vartotojams bei tinklui. Darbe sprendžiami du pirmieji uždaviniai apima: balso paslaugų vartotojų srauto analizę, pagal vartotojų buvimo vietą, bei balso srauto balansavimą, taikant tarpsisteminius srauto balansavimo metodus. Kiti du uždaviniai siejami su vartotojų siunčiamo duomenų srauto augimu, kuris sukelia tinklo ląstelių persipildymą. Duomenų srauto valdymui taikomi paslaugų klasifikavimo pagal QoS ir tarpsluoksnio balansavimo metodai, kurie remiasi mažomis ląstelėmis. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, trys skyriai, bendrosios išvados, naudotos literatūros ir autoriaus publikacijų disertacijos tema sąrašai, priedai, reziumė anglų kalba. Įvadiniame skyriuje aptariama tiriamoji problema, darbo aktualumas, aprašomas tyrimų objektas, formuluojamas darbo tikslas bei uždaviniai, aprašoma tyrimų metodika, darbo mokslinis naujumas, darbo rezultatų praktinė reikšmė, ginamieji teiginiai. Pabaigoje pristatomos disertacijos tema autoriaus paskelbtos publikacijos bei disertacijos struktūra. Pirmasis skyrius yra skirtas literatūros analizei. Jame aptariama srautų balansavimo samprata bei poreikis. Skyriuje pateikiama išsami srauto balansavimo metodų apžvalga, analizuojami konkretūs balso ir duomenų balansavimo būdai. Antrame skyriuje nagrinėjamas balso srauto pasiskirstymas realus korinio ryšio tinkle pagal surinktus metaduomenis. Skyriuje pateiktos srauto charakteristikos. Iš tinklo veiklos rodiklių nustatyta balso balansavimo įtaka tinklui ir vartotojams. Trečiasis skyrius atskleidžia duomenų srauto QoS prioriteto reikšmę paslaugų kokybei vienodomis ir skirtingomis ryšio kanalo sąlygomis. Tarpsluoksnio srauto balansavimo atveju pateiktas femto zoną reprezentuojantis modelis ir įvertinta ryšio paslaugų vartotojų patiriama paslaugų kokybė femto zonose. Tyrimai atliekami realiomis radijo aplinkos sąlygomis. Disertacijos tema paskelbti 7 moksliniai straipsniai recenzuojamuose mokslo leidiniuose: 4 straipsniai mokslo žurnaluose referuojamuose kitose tarptautinėse duomenų bazėse ir 3 straipsniai konferencijų medžiagose. Disertacijos tema perskaityti 7 pranešimai Lietuvos ir užsienio šalių konferencijose.

Disertacijoje nagrinėjami heterogeninių korinio ryšio tinklų talpos ir paslaugų kokybės užtikrinimo klausimai, taikant vartotojų srauto balansavimą. Pagrindiniai tyrimo objektai yra vartotojų sukuriamo balso ir duomenų srauto balansavimas tinkle. Srauto balansavimas yra svarbi sritis šių dienų telekomunikacijose, kai perduodamų duomenų srautai auga milžiniškais tempais. Įvairiapusiška ir lanksti vartotojų srauto balansavimo metodika leidžia efektyviai valdyti srautą tinkle, sumažinant tinklo apkrovą ir investicijas. Pagrindinis disertacijos tikslas-ištirti išplėstines vartotojų srautų balansavimo galimybes korinio ryšio sistemose. Darbe siekiama įvertinti srauto balansavimo įtaką tinklo vartotojams bei tinklui. Darbe sprendžiami du pirmieji uždaviniai apima: balso paslaugų vartotojų srauto analizę, pagal vartotojų buvimo vietą, bei balso srauto balansavimą, taikant tarpsisteminius srauto balansavimo metodus. Kiti du uždaviniai siejami su vartotojų siunčiamo duomenų srauto augimu, kuris sukelia tinklo ląstelių persipildymą. Duomenų srauto valdymui taikomi paslaugų klasifikavimo pagal QoS ir tarpsluoksnio balansavimo metodai, kurie remiasi mažomis ląstelėmis. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, trys skyriai, bendrosios išvados, naudotos literatūros ir autoriaus publikacijų disertacijos tema sąrašai, priedai, reziumė anglų kalba. Įvadiniame skyriuje aptariama tiriamoji problema, darbo aktualumas, aprašomas tyrimų objektas, formuluojamas darbo tikslas bei uždaviniai, aprašoma tyrimų metodika, darbo mokslinis naujumas, darbo rezultatų praktinė reikšmė, ginamieji teiginiai. Pabaigoje pristatomos disertacijos tema autoriaus paskelbtos publikacijos bei disertacijos struktūra. Pirmasis skyrius yra skirtas literatūros analizei. Jame aptariama srautų balansavimo samprata bei poreikis. Skyriuje pateikiama išsami srauto balansavimo metodų apžvalga, analizuojami konkretūs balso ir duomenų balansavimo būdai. Antrame skyriuje nagrinėjamas balso srauto pasiskirstymas realus korinio ryšio tinkle pagal surinktus metaduomenis. Skyriuje pateiktos srauto charakteristikos. Iš tinklo veiklos rodiklių nustatyta balso balansavimo įtaka tinklui ir vartotojams. Trečiasis skyrius atskleidžia duomenų srauto QoS prioriteto reikšmę paslaugų kokybei vienodomis ir skirtingomis ryšio kanalo sąlygomis. Tarpsluoksnio srauto balansavimo atveju pateiktas femto zoną reprezentuojantis modelis ir įvertinta ryšio paslaugų vartotojų patiriama paslaugų kokybė femto zonose. Tyrimai atliekami realiomis radijo aplinkos sąlygomis. Disertacijos tema paskelbti 7 moksliniai straipsniai recenzuojamuose mokslo leidiniuose: 4 straipsniai mokslo žurnaluose referuojamuose kitose tarptautinėse duomenų bazėse ir 3 straipsniai konferencijų medžiagose. Disertacijos tema perskaityti 7 pranešimai Lietuvos ir užsienio šalių konferencijose.

The Andhra Pradesh state incorporated various modifications from time to time to make its implementation more relevant for the masses and to increase its effectiveness. This paper analyzes that whether Public Distribution System is able to achieve its objective of providing food security to the people. The present paper discusses a brief review of welfare schemes and also makes a study of existing door steps Public Distribution System in Andhra Pradesh. An attempt has been made in this
study to ascertain the problems prevailing in Public Distribution System and to recommend suggestions to make Public Distribution System is more effective. This study has been conducted on the basis of secondary data. The secondary data has been compiled from various journals, books,
internet sources and other published papers etc

BACKGROUND: During the unexpected lockdown implemented in early 2020 in reaction to the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a considerable section of India’s population of migrant construction-site workers were stuck. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to explore the lived experiences and consequent perceptions of migrant workers related to the COVID-19 lockdown and the consequences on their lives. METHODS: We conducted structured in-depth interviews (IDIs) with twelve migrant construction-site workers in Bhavnagar, Western India, from November to December 2020, using qualitative research methods. All IDIs were conducted with participant’s consent, audio-recorded, transcribed in English, inductively coded, and thematically analyzed. RESULTS: The primary financial challenges mentioned by the migrant workers in the interviews were unemployment, monetary issues, and a difficult sustenance. The social concerns were described as anxious migrant exodus, discrimination, mistreatment, lack of s...

The Government of India introduced the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 to strengthen the public distribution system (PDS) in India. Extending the PDS service network is a contentious issue, especially for India's rural regions. This article aims to estimate the level of expansion of the PDS network, additional food grain requirement, and increased storage facilities required to serve the growing population of India up to 2025. The statistical analysis highlights the need for significant changes in the PDS to meet NFSA, and the findings can aid policy-makers to design a more robust PDS.

Institute of Social Studies Trust KEY FINDINGS 83% of women reported severe to moderate economic crises for their families causing further anxiety over security of jobs. 54% women reported that no one helped them in the household work; some women also had to do outside work such as arranging food, collecting rations, grinding flour, etc. owing to increased instances of police harassment of men. 51% of women faced difficulty in buying essential food items like milk, vegetables, tea etc. due to price hike during the lockdown. Lack of registration of domestic workers with unorganized sector social security board denies women of any government relief to be disbursed under the same. Concerns about lack of protective equipment such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, etc. once domestic workers resume work. Women complained of long queues and overcrowding during food distribution or ration kits, at PDS shops and delays in processing of ecoupons for obtaining temporary rations. Severe anxiety of women with regards to wages for March and subsequent months during the lockdown period 34% respondents were not sure how and whom to contact in case of suspicion of having contacted the virus.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the whole world to face an economic crisis and hence putting people even more at risk of food insecurity; supply chain setup has been disrupted severely due to numerous transport restrictions. There is a need for various components of government machinery to work in complete synergy for aligning services, making provision for supplies and arranging means of delivery to the citizens. This review gives an understanding about the food security situation in India, problem faced by the citizens, in particular the poor and vulnerable population, small and marginal farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also analyses the steps taken by the government of India to address the food security challenges during COVID-19. We have discussed the importance of macrolevel thinking and various measures that can be taken to strengthen public distribution system in India. We have also discussed policies to support the small and marginal farmers, wage laborers, and migr...

From a nation dependent on food imports to feed its population, India today is not only self-sufficient in grain production, but also has a substantial reserve. The progress made in agriculture during the last four decades has been one of the biggest success stories of independent India. Despite these impressive gains, India, at present, finds itself in the midst of a paradoxical situation: On the one hand there are record food grain stocks standing at an all-time high (62 million tonnes against an annual requirement of around 20 million tonnes for ensuring food security), and on the other hand, over 200 million of India's population is underfed, and millions are under-nourished. Mere supply of food grains to the poor people through fair price shop will not serve the purpose food security as proclaimed under National Food Security Act, 2013. It relies on increasing production with fair access, improving production capacity with quality process; enhanced technology with appropriate policy for environment safety; aiming to fulfil demand of local market not just for global market; real reach of needy not just national figures; catering food needs of both rural and urban consumption; and quality instead of quality. The challenge is to

The Indian dairy industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world which employs millions of farmers directly and also participates more than five per cent in the economy as well. As the industry continues to expand there is a growing need to adopt sustainable practices in the supply chain to minimize negative impact on the environment and society and ensure viability. The present research aims at examining the supply chain management practices of the two leading dairy firms-Amul and Danone. The study relies primarily on secondary sources like peer-reviewed journals, authentic websites and reports. A case study-based approach has predominantly been used to compare two leading firms in the dairy industry with respect to sustainable practices across the supply chain. Key aspects such as the scale of dairy production, technology adoption, pricing, traditional supply chain management, artificial intelligence in sustainable supply chains and logistics management in select dairy firms have been critically reviewed for comparison purposes. The study identified the various problems and challenges being faced by the Indian dairy industry. The study found that Amul and Danone both have focused on sustainable and green practices. However, Danone's ability to incorporate and enable technology has helped in improving efficiency across the supply chain making the chain sustainable. On the other hand, Amul lacked the adaptation of emerging technologies across its supply chain. The study suggested the exploration of artificial intelligence that might help in achieving a sustainable supply chain in Indian dairy firms.

Labai mažos įmonės neturi daug alternatyvų skaitmeniniam darbui. Tokių įmonių dažniausiai pasitaikantys sprendimai-VVS moduliai ar nespecializuota programinė įranga-"Microsoft Excel" ir kiti variantai. Mes pasiūlytume rinkai naują alternatyvą-universalią inventoriaus valdymo sistemą (toliau IVS), kuri atliks prekių valdymo, ataskaitų formavimo ir paskyrų valdymo funkcijas, bus sukurta taip, kad būsimos įmonės galėtų susikonfigūruoti programą pagal savo veiklos poreikius. Įvadas Temos aktualumas. Šiomis dienomis Lietuvoje ir apskritai pasaulyje informacinės technologijos tampa neatsiejama verslo organizavimo dalis. Verslai, kurie neprisitaiko prie skaitmeninės aplinkos, dažniausiai nepasiekia savo maksimalaus potencialo. Kaip bebūtų, tačiau iki šiol dar yra verslų ir ypač labai mažų įmonių ar veiklų, kurios dar naudoja popierinę dokumentaciją ar nespecializuotas programas verslo duomenų įrašymui. Dauguma organizacijų supranta skaitmeninės aplinkos nauda ir žino, kad tai gali pagerinti jų verslo našumą, tačiau ne visi turi galimybę įsigyti specializuotas verslo valdymo sistemas (toliau VVS). Tai yra dėl to, kad VVS įprastai yra per brangios arba netinka labai mažos įmonės standartui. Remiantis verslą skatinančios organizacijos VŠĮ "Versli Lietuva" parengtais verslumo apžvalgos duomenimis ("Verslumo tendencijos Lietuvoje 2018 m. ir 2019 m. pradžioje", 2019), galima teigti, kad 2019 m. pradžioje Lietuvoje labai mažos įmonės (t.y. įmonės nuo 1 iki 9 darbuotojų) sudaro daugiau nei 80 proc. visų veikiančių įmonių. Šių įmonių ekonomika sukuria vos 16 proc. visos pridėtinės vertės. Su šiais duomenimis galima numatyti VVS teikiančių įmonių orientacija į stabilesnes ir didesnes įmones, kurios generuoja didesnius pelnus, todėl yra lengviau aptarnauti vieną didelę įmonę, nei penkiasdešimt labai mažų įmonių, kurių biudžetas sudėjus yra tas pats, kas vienos didesnės įmonės. Labai mažos įmonės neturi daug alternatyvų skaitmeniniam darbui, galimi sprendimai-VVS moduliai ar nespecializuota programinė įranga-"Microsoft Excel" ir kiti variantai. Mes pasiūlytume rinkai naują alternatyvąuniversalią inventoriaus valdymo sistemą (IVS), kuri atliks prekių valdymo, ataskaitų formavimo ir paskyrų valdymo funkcijas, bus sukurta taip, kad būsimos įmonės galėtų susikonfigūruoti programą pagal savo veiklos poreikius. Darbo problema. Daugeliui mažų įmonių, individualios veiklos verslams (pvz. prekybai) yra per brangu įsigyti esamų rinkoje VVS inventoriaus valdymo modulių. Todėl tokių įmonių alternatyvus sprendimas yra naudoti nespecializuotas ir nemokamas programas inventoriaus duomenims įrašyti. Tačiau elementari nespecializuota programa nėra optimali inventoriaus identifikavimui, prekių paieškai, prekių filtravimui įmonės viduje ir paskyrom valdyti. Darbo objektas. Universali inventoriaus valdymo sistema (IVS) labai mažam verslui ar individualiai veiklai. Darbo tikslas. Sukurti naują alternatyvą labai mažam verslui, kuriam reikalingi inventoriaus valdymo funkcijos įrankiai, atitinkantys labai mažos įmonės standartus. Sistema turi būti sukurta universali, lanksti įmonių ar veiklų poreikiams. Uždaviniai: 1. Atlikti alternatyvių sprendimų ir panašių inventoriaus valdymo sistemų, kurios aptarnauja labai mažas įmones, analizę. 2. Suprojektuoti sistemą ir ją sukurti. 3. Nustatyti projektuojamo objekto ekonomine naudą. 4. Atlikti sistemos testavimą su duomenimis.

Bhan, G.,Chowdhury, A., Margosa, N., Sampat, K., and Sohane, N. (2020). Lessons for Social Protection from the COVID-19 Lockdowns Report 1 of 2: State Relief. Indian Institute for Human Settlements: Bengaluru/Delhi. https://doi.org/10.24943/LSPCL11.2020
| This report seeks to use COVID-19 and its attendant lockdowns in India as a crucial moment to assess social protection. Policy and scholarship both recognize that social protection plays an important role in alleviating poverty, improving standards of living, mitigating risks and shocks, and reducing episodes of financial adversities (Conway & Norton, 2002). We understandsocial protection as “all public and privateinitiatives that provide income or consumption transfers to the poor, protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks and enhance the social status and rights of the marginalized; with the overall objective of reducing the economic and social vulnerability of poor, vulnerable and marginalized groups” (Devereux & Sabates-Wheeler, 2004). Social protection thus includes measures that are protective against destitution— both amidst crisis as well as in the everyday— as well as promotive in how they enable individuals, households and communities to thrive and flourish rather th...

Lockdown linked to the COVID-19 pandemic generated food security associated panic among the general population. This article is an exercise to document actions taken by the Government of Kerala to prevent people from starving during such di cult times of lockdown. Inclusive interventions such as provision of dry ration free of cost, operating community kitchens and engaging in direct cash transfers were some of the highlights of the measures taken by the Government in Kerala to address the food crisis in the state. These efforts are evidence for the government's commitment towards managing the crisis and this was possible through the involvement of effective decentralized governance through local self-government institutions and community organizations.

This paper presents an automated and efficient model of Public Distribution System (PDS) using biometric based authentication and networking through a micro-controller. Public Distribution System, also termed as rationing distribution system, is one of the widely disputable area with a scope for many malpractices. The existing ration distribution system has high level of corruption such as inaccurate measurement of food grains, long waiting times in queues, material theft in ration shops and manual distribution of the food grains. As a solution to the problems involved in the existing ration card system, the present paper proposes a fully automated model to provide high transparency at all the stages of PDS. In this system, each customer is provided with a smart card, which is to be used along with fingerprint for their authentication. After successful authentication, the consumers can provide their requirements using a touchscreen interface. The dispensing of the food grains through vending machines will take place automatically with the operation of motors and valves controlled by a micro-controller, after verification of the requirements provided by the user. The same transaction will be reflected immediately in the database along with a message to the customer. All the payments are also handled in a digital mode. In addition, this model also strengthens the Di gital India initiative introduced by the government of India recently.

The subject of food security closely touches upon the wellbeing of the majority of the Indian population. Though the Indian constitution does not have any explicit provision regarding the right to food, the fundamental right to life enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution includes the right to live with human dignity, which also includes the right to food and other necessities. The network of the public distribution system is one of the largest of its kind for providing subsidised food items to the marginal segment of the Indian population. This system of food distribution covers nearly 11 crore households and provides them with food grains at subsidised prices. This review article examines the efforts to achieve food security through PDS. It also traces the challenges and problem faced by PDS and suggests measures for improvement.

While nutritional outcomes in India have improved, albeit slowly, the policy framework fails to recognize the importance of food and agricultural policies in improving nutrition. This paper provides evidence on the sub-national variation in food security and nutritional outcomes and links it to the governance structure and policy priorities. Sub-national unit of analysis has been a common theme in the comparative literature and we apply the same to understand the nutrition-food-agriculture nexus within India. We find that the states with a better agricultural system and public provision of health and hygiene perform much better on the nutritional outcomes. This hearkens to the academic understanding of nutrition as a multi-dimensional concept, which has been ignored by policymakers. We further call for more careful analysis of sub-regional heterogeneity and the changing policy paradigms at the sub-national level to address poor nutritional outcomes in India.

The Government of India introduced the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 to strengthen the public distribution system (PDS) in India. Extending the PDS service network is a contentious issue, especially for India's rural regions. This article aims to estimate the level of expansion of the PDS network, additional food grain requirement, and increased storage facilities required to serve the growing population of India up to 2025. The statistical analysis highlights the need for significant changes in the PDS to meet NFSA, and the findings can aid policy-makers to design a more robust PDS.

Declaration of 86 percent of currency notes as illegal tender in just a blink of time on eve of 8th November 2016 mandated the creation of immediate interruption in daily lives. The chaos was created in every strata of the society whether upper, middle, or lower. Where some welcome the move as it was seen for curbing black money, many are suffering by this movement. But the supreme suffers of this move were the informal sector of India economy, where cashless transaction are minimal. Informal sectors of India Economy include 106 activities like agriculture, worker in construction, local transport, community services and small workshops like shoe makes and garment makers (International Conference of Labour Statistics (2003), rural populations and the urban poor and middle class. This paper aimed at reviewing the general implication of demonetization on people.

Livestock products are not only rich in calories but have a high nutritional value too. The northern hill states of Himachal Pradesh (HP), Uttarakhand (UK), and erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir (now a UT) face unique challenges which may have a direct bearing on food security. The present study used NSSO reports pertaining to the year 2011-12 to analyse the consumption pattern of livestock and nutritional contribution in northern hill states. Apart from high CAGR in real MPCE (2.6-4.8%) on livestock products, their share in total food expenditure has also risen and it has overtaken the expenditure on cereals in the states considered. Liquid milk was the major livestock product consumed and its level of consumption was much higher than national average. Highest consumption of milk in HP in India calls for ramping up the cattle productivity. Consumption of chevon/mutton in JK and HP was unparalleled. There is huge demand for the market curd in urban areas of the hill states. Livestock prod...

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the whole world to face an economic crisis and hence putting people even more at risk of food insecurity; supply chain setup has been disrupted severely due to numerous transport restrictions. There is a need for various components of government machinery to work in complete synergy for aligning services, making provision for supplies and arranging means of delivery to the citizens. This review gives an understanding about the food security situation in India, problem faced by the citizens, in particular the poor and vulnerable population, small and marginal farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also analyses the steps taken by the government of India to address the food security challenges during COVID-19. We have discussed the importance of macrolevel thinking and various measures that can be taken to strengthen public distribution system in India. We have also discussed policies to support the small and marginal farmers, wage laborers, and migr...

In this work, we investigate a real-life inventory transportation problem faced by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). FCI is the central agency responsible for procurement, storage, and transportation of food grains over a large geographical area of India. Due to lopsided procurement and consumption of major food grains (i.e., rice & wheat) transportation of food grains across the warehouses becomes inevitable. FCI faces a significant challenge to find the optimal amount of food grains to be stored at each warehouse and transported among the warehouses to meet the demand during each period. In this study, we formulate an MILP model to determine the optimal inventory transportation decisions related to food grain transportation in India and demonstrate it via a case study. Commercial optimization packages can be used to solve the problem of this class. However, as we see, they fail to provide a solution for large size problem instances. Therefore, we propose a heuristic-based solution approach to solve the problem. It is seen that under a practical time limit, the proposed heuristic performs significantly well in terms of accuracy as compared to commercial optimizations packages. The nature of the study is generic in nature and can be also applied to various similar real-life problem scenarios.

Would the households get to buy more of subsidized grains from a food safety-net program if the difference between the price in the program and in the open market were to increase? This is an important question for safety-net programs anywhere in the world, but particularly so for the Public Distribution System (PDS) of grains in India. The standard economic intuition suggests that price controls distort signals and create incentives for unintended transactions. Dreze and Sen (2013), however, posit an opposite entitlement effect where an increase in arbitrage potential increases the value of PDS entitlement. Increase in the stake in the PDS for the eligible beneficiaries results in increased accountability and ultimately an increase in household purchase of grains from the PDS. We test these two competing hypotheses using the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) panel data and find evidence for both kinds of effects. In states where welfare programs are better governed, the Dreze a...

Consumption expenditure has been widely used in India to estimate poverty. It has recently been argued that these estimates have several weaknesses and an asset based index is a better indicator of deprivation. Building on the asset based indicator developed earlier, this paper estimates deprivation in India. It looks at two specific aspects of deprivation: (i) region and time-wise variations in deprivation in terms of absolute and relative deprivation, (ii)difference between deprivation and consumption-based poverty. The results suggest that there is a difference in the regional ranking of poverty depending on whether to consider the immediate consumption expenditure or the longer term picture of vulnerability provided by the asset based indicator of deprivation

There are signs that public services can improve in big cities when the urban poor hold providers directly accountablewhat we now call social accountability. We do not know, however, to what extent the urban poor, through their civil society groups, engage in forms of social accountability nor what strategies they use. We do not know what factors lead the poor to choose accountability as a way to secure access to essential services, rather than clientelism, electing representatives to public office or simply self-provisioning. We need to answer these questions in order to develop programmes that support accountability initiatives and understand the potential social accountability has to improve the basic public services. We designed a unique comparative study to take a step in this direction. The study compares activism by the urban poor to improve two essential types of services in the cities of Delhi and São Paulo, primary healthcare and social assistance. The unusual comparison between a South Asian and Latin American city, and across two very different types of services, gives us greater capacity to sort through different possible causes of accountability activism by the urban poor and explanations for the different types of strategies people use. In the two cities, we find, a substantial share of civil society groups attempt to improve health and welfare services by holding providers accountable. They seek to establish greater accountability as one of several types of engagement strategies with the statethat is, accountability is a part of a larger repertoire of activism. There is large variation, however, in the level of activity and type of strategies in the two cities, and across the two services. Surprisingly, accountability activism is most robust in health in São Paulo and welfare (Public Distribution System, PDS) in Delhi; and least in welfare (Family Minimum Income Guarantee) in São Paulo and health in Delhi. Understanding the sources of this variation is one of the challenges of our paper. We look at whether the type of organisation and sources of funding influence accountability activity, and whether it matters whether civil society groups are local or translocal, or active in several areas of the city. We look at whether the type of service, or how services are provided, shapes activism. And we explore whether institutional factors, such as the right to information legislation in India and participatory governance councils in Brazil, which create different kinds of incentives or opportunities for civil society actors, impact levels of activity and what strategies are adopted.

People are more concerned about the safety of their valuables like jewelry, money, important documents, etc. which is why safe deposit boxes are the safest place to keep them. The advent of rapidly growing technologies enables users to operate high security systems with electronic identification options. In this work, a design of a multilayer security system is proposed. The safety concern parameters like user password, RF identification, and fingerprint recognition, use of one time password and a motion detection and alert system are in place. An email notification of the motion detection image near the safe may also be received by a user. Our system may be considered as a useful multi layered security anti-theft product.

Inequality is a problem which intensifies the plight of the poor people. The persistence of inequality prevents equal sharing of the benefits out of development processes. On many occasions, inequality rises with the increase in growth rate of the economies. Indian economy has witnessed this phenomenon in the post reform periods. There exists considerable income inequality across Indian states. This paper tries to examine the inter-state income inequality in India on the basis of NSSO data and IHDS data. It uses descriptive statistics like mean, median, standard deviation, range, quartiles, percentiles, graphs, and column and bar diagrams to analyse the concerned data. We find that income inequality has been increasing with time. Urban income inequality is dominating rural income inequality. Inter-state variation in income is significantly present in terms of the values of Gini Coefficients and median household income. There exists no definite mechanism to keep the state at the same...

The Aadhaar-based Biometric Authentication system was introduced in all Public Distribution System outlets in Hyderabad between February and March 2016. A survey of 80 households (284 persons) in November finds that despite the introduction of technology-intensive authentication and payment systems, a significant number of those vulnerable and dependent on PDS for food grains are failing to realise their right to food. It is alarming that these sophisticated systems fail even in locations where connectivity and technical know-how are relatively advanced.