RAS question
The Public Distribution System (PDS) in Rajasthan provides subsidized food grains under:
Correct answer: (A) National Food Security Act (NFSA).
Rajasthan's Public Distribution System provides subsidised foodgrains under the National Food Security Act, 2013.
Explanation
The governing law is the National Food Security Act, 2013. The Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution release says the Act was notified to provide food and nutritional security and covers eligible households for receiving subsidised foodgrains under the Targeted Public Distribution System. It also notes that implementation had started in Rajasthan, along with Haryana, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh. That directly links Rajasthan's PDS supply of subsidised foodgrains to NFSA, not to a separate welfare or employment law. Under the original arrangement, NFSA foodgrains were supplied at subsidised issue prices such as wheat at Rs 2 per kg and rice at Rs 3 per kg; since January 2023, NFSA foodgrains have been distributed free under PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana, extended till December 2028.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) The Forest Rights Act deals with rights over forest land and resources, not the legal framework for distributing subsidised foodgrains through PDS.
- (C) The Right to Education Act concerns access to schooling, so it cannot be the basis for foodgrain entitlements under Rajasthan's PDS.
- (D) MGNREGA is an employment guarantee programme, whereas the question asks about subsidised foodgrains supplied through the Public Distribution System.
Concept
This tests the welfare-scheme mapping within the Economy of Rajasthan syllabus: which central law anchors a benefit delivered through the state system. NFSA-PDS questions recur because they connect food security, beneficiary entitlements and Rajasthan-level implementation.