Executive Summary
The public distribution system is functioning well: nearly all PDS shops were open (99%), had adequate supplies (92–99% depending on the food item), and provided free allotments to citizens (99%). Private shops experienced limited food scarcity during the first month of lockdown. Cross-validation exercises, including a survey of Anganwadi workers and a survey of almost 4,000 women in Raipur district, corroborate online survey results. Expanding the reach of Chhattisgarh’s PDS can help contain rural economic distress and potentially stabilize food prices.
Citation
Barboni, G., Goyal, A., Pande, R., Rigol, N., Schaner, S., Sharma, A., ... & Zhao, H. (2020). Chhattisgarh’s public distribution system is delivering much-needed food to the poor. Surveys suggest a case for their expansion with the COVID-19 crisis: Findings from a statewide survey in April 2020.