It has been observed that even though the Indian economy has achieved remarkable
economic growth along with a decline in poverty over the last two decades,
improvements in nutritional status have not kept pace with this economic growth. The
National Sample Survey (NSS) data also documents that the per capita cereal
consumption steadily declined for both the rural and urban population between 1993-94
and 2011-12. This study examines the reasons for the disjunction between economic
advancement and nutritional improvement in India by analysing the role and
performance of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in determining food consumption
patterns and nutritional outcomes over a period of time. The PDS, conceptualised as one
of the largest safety net programmes in the country, was envisaged as a means of dealing
with nutritional deficiency by supplying rice, wheat, sugar and kerosene at highly
subsidised prices to the poor. It was launched as a universal programme in the context of
food shortages during the early years after Independence. However, since it was widely
criticised for its urban bias, it was subsequently streamlined through the launch of the
Targeted PDS (TPDS) in June 1997, which aimed at providing very poor families access
to foodgrains at reasonably low costs to help them improve their nutrition standards and
attain food security. The National Food Security Act also focuses on providing food
security via expansion of the PDS.