PDS leaks costing exchequer Rs 69,000 crore a year: Report | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Nearly 28% of grains supplied by Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state governments never reach the intended beneficiaries and the economic loss to the exchequer is estimated to be more than Rs 69,000 crore, a paper by an economic think tank has revealed and called for urgent reforms of the system.Analysing data from the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) and FCI's monthly offtake numbers from August 2022 to July 2023, the paper estimates that 20 million tonnes of rice and wheat fail to reach their intended beneficiaries."This is an annual loss. Where is it going? Maybe it is being diverted to the open market or for even exports," said Ashok Gulati, Infosys chair professor at ICRIER, who authored the policy brief with Raya Das and Ranjana Roy. The paper said this...