Sunday, September 27, 2009

View from the Ivory Tower

Ministry of Consumer Affairs is running a campaign on consumer awarenes: "Jago Grahak Jago". Great idea!

Today, the message was "Insist on your Entitlement". "Antodaya" card holder families are entitled to 35 kgs of wheat / rice per month at the the issue prices of Rs. 3.00 per kg of rice and Rs. 2.00 per kg of wheat.The entitlement for "Below Poverty Line" families is up to 35 kgs per month at issue prices of Rs. 4.15 per kg of wheat and Rs. 5.65 per Kg of rice, plus distribution cost fixed by the State Governments. The entitlement for "Above Poverty Line" families is also covered.

Three questions:

Are the entitlements fixed irrespective of the size of the family?

When the issue prices could be set nationally, why not the distribution cost? From my knowledge of Kerosene PDS, this is where lots of bureaucrats at State and Disrtrict levels make money. How is it that the element of distribution cost for "Antodaya" families is set at zero?

How many people from "Antodaya" families and BPL families read the Economic Times?

2 comments:

  1. Well, once everyone gets their subsidized rice and wheat, they can buy daal @ Rs. 70 - 100/kg and potatoes @ Rs. 35/kg. This way, soon, the BPL will become 'Antodaya' and we (the oh-so-proud APL who earn more than 5k a month) will become BPL, and THEN the government's media-buying will be automatically relevant. So there IS a method to this.

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  2. The next question is the quality of the rice and wheat if at all one is able to reach to the door where it is being distributed.

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