Going by the figures on beneficiaries who have opted for the cash aid being offered by the government to family cardholders during the lockdown, more people are choosing the cash dole over free rations.
In April, over 4.35 lakh more beneficiaries of the public distribution system received cash handouts when compared to those who got free rations. This is despite the State government having provided a ‘give up’ option to PDS beneficiaries.
Of the 1,98,61,635 people who collected the cash aid, only1,94,26,123 received free rations as well. The gap came to light based on a perusal of the district-wise distribution of cash and essential commodities, which include rice, 1 kg each of sugar and toor dal, and 1 litre of edible oil.
The Civil Supplies Department has divided the State into 38 districts — one more than the number of revenue districts. In Chennai, the department has two districts — one for the north and the other for the south. The north Chennai district is the biggest in the State, with 10.04 lakh cards, and Perambalur, the smallest, with 1.78 lakh cards.
As for the distribution of cash in April, the coverage achieved by 22 districts was at least 99%, the highest being 99.79% in Tirupattur. The western district of Dharmapuri came second with 99.69% coverage, followed by Ramanathapuram in the south, with 99.63%. The south Chennai district, regarded as having relatively more well-off people than many other parts of the State, recorded 94.29% coverage, while north Chennai’s figure was 96.46%.
Officials of the Department are, however, not surprised by the greater charm of cash, given its multi-purpose nature.
This was the case even during the Pongal festival, when cash was traditionally provided to PDS beneficiaries along with provisions. A key factor was that cash was largely delivered at the doorstep of the beneficiaries, unlike in the case of free rations, which could only be collected at fair price shops.
K.R. Shanmugam, Director of the Madras School of Economics, said another reason for the relatively lower coverage of essential commodities was that certain sections of PDS beneficiaries were not inclined to get the commodities. T. Sadagopan, a consumer activist, pointed out that there was a “strong feeling” among PDS beneficiaries that if they don’t receive what the government is offering, their entitlements may be stopped.
This was a major driving force behind the people’s inclination to make use of the government’s scheme optimally, regardless of whether they liked it or not.
As for the better coverage of cash, there were complaints, both in April and May, about many beneficiaries not being able to get all the commodities in one go. “Given the current summer season, they are not willing to visit fair price shops more than once,” the activist added.
