The Public Distribution System's (PDS) ration shops or the Fair Price Shops sell staple food grains like wheat, rice, cereals, sugar and oils at subsidised rates ensuring that they provide basic nutrition to all the segments of the society. However, the government is now considering to sell fish, chicken, meat and eggs at subsidised rates.
National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog has planned this initiative with an intend that even weaker segments of the society should also have access to basic nutrition and food. In the process of expanding its food security scheme, the government will now give priority to nutrition security.
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The project will be divided into phases and in the first phase NITI Ayog will be experimenting with just one or two product. Notably, The Indian food security system was established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to distribute food and non-food items to India's poor at subsidised rates. This scheme was first started in February 1944, during the Second World War.
It is considered to be the most important food security network. However, the food grains supplied by the ration shops are not enough to meet the consumption needs of the poor or are of substandard quality. The average level of consumption of PDS in India is only 1 kg per person per month. The PDS has also been criticised for its urban bias and its failure to serve the poorer sections of the population effectively.
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