New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) Nearly 80 crore beneficiaries of welfare schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) will now receive better quality rice. The government, for the first time in nearly three decades, revised the quality specifications of rice supplied under the Public Distribution System (PDS), ensuring that beneficiaries receive rice with substantially lower broken grain content while maintaining their existing entitlements.

This reform has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). This was announced by Prahlad Joshi, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, on July 2.

Under the new policy, raw rice supplied under the PMGKAY will contain only up to 10 per cent broken grains, replacing the existing allowance of up to 25 per cent. Parboiled rice supplied under these schemes can contain only up to 5 per cent broken grains, replacing the existing specification of up to 16 per cent.

The procurement of improved-quality rice will commence immediately and will be rolled out across all procuring states by the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2027-28 in a phased manner.

The distribution of improved-quality rice under PMGKAY and other welfare schemes will also be undertaken in a phased manner, ensuring a smooth transition to the revised specifications across all states.

The government stated that the decision reflects its commitment not only to ensuring food security but also to improving the quality of food grains supplied to more than 80 crore beneficiaries under PMGKAY and other welfare schemes, adding that beneficiaries will receive rice with better grain integrity, improved appearance and higher consumer acceptability without any change in their entitlement.

The broken rice generated during milling will be separated and utilised productively for other purposes under the revised specifications. It is expected that this reform will result in rationalisation of transportation, storage and handling costs, as broken rice will be auctioned directly from millers’ premises.

The requirement of jute bags will also come down, with broken rice being stored in HDPE bags. This is expected to lead to annual cost rationalisation of Rs 2,161 crore through reduced logistics, storage and packaging costs.

In addition, the sale of broken rice will generate additional revenue, further helping to reduce the food subsidy burden.

According to the statement, the proposal has already been validated through pilot implementation in multiple states like Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Telangana and Chhattisgarh. The pilot has demonstrated the operational feasibility of producing improved-quality rice at scale.

Under the reform, QR-code tagging of rice bags to enable end-to-end traceability across the supply chain, strengthening transparency, accountability and inventory management in the Public Distribution System, effectively plugging any scope for leakages, has been envisaged.

–IANS

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