Ashwita P.

Ashwita P. (AP): Telangana has various schemes and provisions in place with respect to the public distribution system. What are the plans and efforts of the state to advance food and nutrition security for migrants in the state?

K. T Reddy (TR): During the pandemic, the issues of migrants were particularly identified, and the state of Telangana also focussed on them. The biggest problem we faced was the numbers. We did not possess reliable data on migrants; their numbers were estimated to be about six lakhs at the time. So, to address the food and nutrition security of migrants, we first needed accurate numbers. The data collection survey is still in progress. Some improvements have been made. Recently children of migrant workers who study in schools in Hyderabad were identified in order to ensure that the Mid-Day Meal scheme was extended to them. The state government has also identified certain NGOs to conduct these surveys.

AP: Given migrant data collection and evaluation is in progress in the state, is the 'One Nation One Ration Card' scheme viable right now to be implemented in Telangana?

TR: I will answer this briefly because there are issues at various levels in the functioning of the state PDS. So in 2017, Telangana state was the first to develop and use the technology for monitoring the procurement, storage and supply of PDS grains. Some interventions were GPS tracking of PDS trucks and CCTV camera monitoring at MLS (Mandal Level Stock) points and fair price shops to catch illegal activities. [This activity is monitored by the ‘Command and Control Centre’ in the Telangana Civil Supplies Department.] 

In the past year, we have conducted inspections of the functioning of fair price shops as well as MLS (Mandal-Level Stock) points at random. And the observation has been mostly that the security and surveillance system has broken down; the CCTVs do not function, and wherever they do, there is no one to monitor day-to-day activities. Even the GPS tracking of trucks between godowns is not perfectly functional. 

We [Telangana State Food Commission] found that the ‘Command and Control Centre’ was lacking in terms of continuous monitoring and proper maintenance of technological equipment. It’s the same with the e-POS machines. Proper updating of machines and software is a problem. There should be more accountability of the Civil Supplies Department in this regard. 

These are the basic problems to be addressed, the logistics in the least, to ensure efficient distribution of ration. Before we address this effectively, one scheme's viability on the ground cannot be examined in isolation.

AP: When it comes to the food security of migrants and accommodating the ONORC scheme into the public distribution system, several food security activists and experts pointed out the need for inter-state cooperation. What do you think? 

TR: Reduced outreach of the scheme itself is an issue. Awareness is low in several states. Another problem that is evident to us is that different migrant communities have varied dietary habits. So yes, state cooperation is necessary for procurement and allocation. We need communication and coordination between them. 

But additionally, with respect to the ONORC scheme as such, we need to strengthen the operations of the Food Corporation of India. [FCI is responsible for procurement, storage, distribution, maintaining the quality of food grains etc.] So, to accommodate the scheme, they now need more migrant data such as migration patterns, food habits etc. This data is being collected through small-scale surveys by the Telangana State’s Labour Department. 

So, collaboration and working across departmental bodies in the state is an important starting point; another example is that based on our [Telangana State Food Commission] suggestions to FCI to take nutrition into consideration when allocating food, they worked with the Health, Medical and Family Welfare department to derive a food nutrition plan for Mid-Day Meal programs and anganwadis. 

So, integrating demand and supply like that is important for large-scale functions, such as ration portability, to work.

AP: What do you think are some interventions required on the part of the central government to ensure the operation of the ONORC scheme?

TR: There is a publicity-cum-awareness campaign scheme by the Government of India under the Public Distribution System. Under 'Strengthening of PDS & Capacity Building' operations, financial assistance is given to states based on the proposal received from them to generate awareness amongst the TPDS beneficiaries about their entitlement and redressal mechanism. 

So once the budget [recommended by the state] is approved by the central government, 80% share has to be borne by the centre and 20% by the state. There is no monitoring of how these funds are utilised. So various processes like raising awareness, maintaining the technology and conducting evaluation studies of awareness and uptake of the scheme have to be supported financially and logistically by the central government. 

The work is not over once you launch a scheme with big banners and media publicity. Even during roll-out, all pamphlets, banners, public service announcements, most of them were in Hindi or English. For a migrant from the North, that might be helpful, but what about a Telangana migrant working in states like Kerala? The scheme has to reach the ground, to the actual beneficiaries, first. In the case of the One Nation One Ration [scheme], for the past 4-5 years, it has been big words and small efforts on all sides.

AP: The reform of the National Food Security Act, by the means of a universal PDS, has been brought up in the discussion by food rights activists and food security experts. Is the coverage of the ONORC scheme an important issue to address before we work on technological and logistic complications?

TR: Universal PDS as a reform is required in all schemes under the PDS. Not just limited to ONORC. Gaps in beneficiary coverage exist across the public distribution system; otherwise, our country would have addressed hunger much more effectively. Near universal coverage is not universal coverage. 

Some states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu have attempted universal coverage for specific schemes under the PDS, such as the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme. But we need country-wide coverage to strengthen our reach. I will give some perspective in terms of Hyderabad; here about 50% of children study in aided or private schools and are not covered under the MDM scheme. They are losing their entitlement because the coverage is not universal. 

On one hand, in 2022, the state publicised the identification and supply of ration cards to an additional 35 lakh beneficiaries. On the other, many children of these very beneficiaries cannot avail free meals from their schools. Private and aided schools must be directed to provide meals, either with the support of the state or self-supported if they have the means. 

Unless these gaps are addressed across schemes under PDS, how will Telangana address food security comprehensively?

AP: The Telangana State Food Commission, along with the National Law School of Indian University (NLSIU), Bangalore, conducts an evaluation of the NFSA implementation in the state every year. The latest report of this evaluation was published in November 2022. You conducted surveys among respondents that avail benefits under the NFSA in the state. How were these groups identified? 

TR:  Yes, we conducted the surveys among respondent groups with the help of direct interviews and respondent observations. These groups were identified in two districts - Hyderabad and Vikarabad, based on some predetermined criteria.

We did a comprehensive assessment of the four schemes that are part of NFSA, 2013 - the Targeted Public Distribution [System] (TPDS), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDM) and Maternity Benefits Scheme (MBS).

The respondents were selected to represent a mix of the urban, rural and tribal populations in the state. They were selected from ‘Eligible Households’ that match the identification criteria for both [kinds of beneficiaries under] the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and priority households. Respondents for surveys that helped evaluate the ICDS, MDM and MBS schemes were selected based on their health indicators and ages, access to the scheme (longest and shortest duration) etc. For example, women who had accessed Antenatal Care (ANC) under MBS, at least four times against women who have accessed it for the first time.

So, among these groups, we selected the most vulnerable in terms of their access to nutrition and healthcare. These attributes are indicative of their access to food and, therefore, useful in measuring the effectiveness of the programs and schemes introduced under the NFSA and those that are conducted by the state independently, such as the ‘Arogya Lakshmi’ for pregnant and lactating women, offering food and eggs for children between seven months and three years etc.

AP: Considering that the report was aimed at a comprehensive assessment of all schemes under the NFSA, was measuring the status of implementation of the ONORC scheme part of the evaluation exercise? Were any migrants part of the respondent groups?

TR: No, not presently. Our aim with this report was to study the implementation status of schemes amongst people in the two districts who are already covered under these [aforementioned] schemes. Through the social audits of these schemes, we were measuring grievance redressal effectiveness and awareness regarding entitlements, quality and quantities of nutritious food. So, no, migrants were not part of these social auditing exercises. 

AP: On a concluding note, what are the Commission’s observations about the state government’s efforts to address food insecurity, and what are some areas that need improvement in order to develop long-term, sustainable solutions?

TR:  The Telangana government has taken some effective and progressive measures to implement the NFSA, starting in 2015 [when the state was formed]. They have developed comprehensive rules and laws that include the identification of eligible households, the designation of grievance redressal officers in each district, and the functioning of this Commission itself. In that regard, Telangana has also pioneered technological innovations to tackle the volume of beneficiaries and their allotments through digitisation etc. But there are areas for improvement.

The extension of the MDM scheme to [government] aided schools and above upper primary level has increased the coverage of the scheme to around 86% in the state. But another painful observation of the Commission [during the pandemic] is that the state government neglected their responsibilities of providing food under the MDM scheme.

Despite multiple reports and recommendations by the State’s Human Rights Commission and orders from High Court, no alternatives were introduced for children when the schools were closed. They could have made provisions for ‘take-home’ ration, but the state made no such provisions. This was a gross neglect of the state’s responsibilities to ensure benefits to those that are entitled. The suo moto cases filed by the Commission in that regard are pending to this date.

There are multiple cases of mismanagement of the ‘KCR Kit’ scheme [aimed at improving the health of pregnant women]; they [state] are supposed to release the first instalment of Rs 3000 in the first trimester to pregnant women. We have seen cases of the benefits not being assigned even after the children of said women took birth and started walking.

So, accountability and grievance redressal are two areas that the state government needs to focus on with regard to the public distribution system. The lack of awareness of many schemes on-ground is glaring. They must develop robust physical and technological infrastructure in all districts for monitoring the implementation of the scheme.

We need to develop and constitute more independent vigilance committees with more teeth in the game. The Telangana government has not conducted a single state-level ‘Vigilance Committee’ meeting so far, even after five years of the Commission being constituted.

This interview was published on 26 April, 2023.