Food Security Goals and Public Distribution System: Potential for Outcome Improvement through the Digitization of India’s Distribution Regime

Food security is a growing challenge in the developing world. Overcoming this challenge is critical in the alleviation of poverty. Achieving food security is the product of many variables, one of which is the consideration of food-based safety net programs that support adequate consumption and contribute to assuring food for people living above and below the poverty line, and for destitute farmers (the “targeted population”). Food-based safety net programs can take several forms--targeted, untargeted, in-kind transfer, conditional or unconditional cash transfer. India’s government has a strong tradition of giving subsidies through social safety net programs to the targeted population. The social safety net programs are credited with safeguarding the welfare of targeted populations and supporting households during economic downturn or natural disaster. The public distribution system is a food-based safety net program through which the Indian government addresses food security through distribution of essential commodities at subsidized prices to the targeted population. The public distribution system, however, has been criticized for its poor targeting, leakages of essential commodities, operational inefficiencies, institution structure and lack of contribution towards the targeted population food security. The main focus of this paper is to identify the extent to which digitization of the public distribution system of food to the target population has improved food security outcomes. The analysis suggests that the government should emphasize the development of the public distribution system with a more progressive innovation and proposes an alternate governance structure for future development.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Public Policy

Grantor

University of Saskatchewan

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Santhanakrishnan, Deepak 1981-

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Phillips, Peter W. B.
• Schwartz, Elizabeth

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Rasmussen, Ken
• Sarkar, Asit
• Boucher, Martin

• Food Security, Policy Change, Digitization, Governance, Social Safety Net

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10388/12804

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/12804