Put on display subsidy from Centre and states: Paswan to PDS outlets

Mumbai: Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday said fair price public distribution shops (PDS) must put on display at their outlets boards indicating subsidy on foodgrains that both the Centre and states provide.

"States should display at PDS shops the foodgrains subsidy borne by Centre and states," Paswan said. The recent directive from Food Ministry aims to do away with confusion among the populace and promote transparency in disbursal of subsidy amount.

In the Union Budget 2017, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley projected a 3 per cent increase in total subsidy outgo of the government. The subsidy for food, petroleum and fertilisers was, according to revised estimate, at Rs2,40,338.6 crore for 2017-18 fiscal.

"The government has earmarked Rs 1,45,338.60 crore for food subsidy in the next fiscal as against Rs 1,35,172.96 crore in the revised estimate of this fiscal," a PTI report earlier said.

To put an end to pilferage of foodgrains, kerosene, LPG and delivery of subsidy money directly to the needy, government made Aadhaar compulsory for most of the welfare schemes it started.

The government has also started a Direct Benefit Transfer scheme for timely and accurate delivery of subsidy amount. On government's request, over 1 crore LPG subscribers gave up their subsidy as a result adding thousands of crores of rupees to government coffers.